Dragon Riders
by Kuroi Uma
Summary: Sanc Kingdom has ruled over all others for over 200 years, but that's about to change. With the king in his death bed and Prince Milliardo missing, the kingdom is vulnerable. Princess Relena is next in the succession line, but there are many others with their eyes set on the throne and they will do whatever it takes to gain power.
1. Chapter 1

**Dragon Riders**

_**Chapter 1**_

Princess Relena Peacecraft crossed the royal gardens in long strides holding her light summer dress up to prevent her from tripping. She would have run if she did not know her mother was watching. Her father's moments of lucidness rarely lasted long these days so, when he had requested to see her, she had wanted to stop all she was doing and go straight to him, but her mother had forbid her. As a Peacecraft princess she had standards and appearances to maintain even when there was no one around. Therefore she had finished her meal as calmly as she could muster, but not without feeling guilty at having kept her father waiting.

Her legs seemed to move on their own accord as soon as Relena was out of her mother's sight, and Pagan – her father's old counsellor – chuckled when he saw her trotting down the corridor. The king had probably summoned him as well for he stood right in front of the big oak doors that led into the royal chambers. He had been waiting for her.

"Good morning, Princess Relena." He bowed briefly.

"Good morning, Pagan. How is father?"

"I am afraid his condition has not improved, Your Highness." Pagan had a sad, almost guilty expression on his face as he spoke, and Relena put a hand on his arm to assure him he was not to blame. "In fact, Sally Po is still inside with him. Will you go in now, my Lady?"

"Yes. I have kept father waiting long enough as it is." She nodded, allowing the old man to open the door and announce her before she stepped in.

King Marticus Peacecraft was lying in the middle of the bed, his back and head propped up by a small assortment of pillows. His pale face and fragile body could barely be seen under the covers and the long blonde hair and beard. The room was uncomfortably hot, but the sick man still seemed to shiver from time to time. It pained Relena to see her father in such a state. He had always been a strong, healthy man…but a man none the less. Still it was a mystery that he had fallen so ill so suddenly.

"Princess Relena." Sally Po, the only female physician in the kingdom, made a curtsy as the young princess walked in.

"Sally." Relena smiled, acknowledging the older woman's presence, before turning to her father with an apologetic look. "I am sorry, father. I meant to have come sooner, but mother would not let me leave."

"It is all right, dear." The king's voice remained strong despite everything he was going through and he even managed a weary smile at his youngest child.

"I shall take my leave now, Your Majesty. If you will excuse me." Sally made another curtsy and left at her sovereign's nod.

As soon as the door had closed behind Sally, Relena ran towards the bed and threw her arms around her father's bony shoulders. "Oh, father…"

"Hush, child." He patted her dark golden locks. "You need to be strong now for the both of us."

She pulled away, meeting his eyes sadly. "I will do my best, father. I promise you that."

King Marticus nodded. "Your mother has not yet come to terms with the inevitable… But it is not just to support her that I need you to be strong. Another search party returned this morning…and still no signs of your brother. I refuse to believe he is dead, but I think it is time for us to make the legal arrangements that will move you to the top in the line of succession. Do you know what that means, my dear?"

"I will be crowned queen… But I am not of age, father, and there are still three weeks before my twenty-first birthday. What are we going to do until then?"

"Until then you will have to be extra careful." He was serious as he said that, far too much for the young princess' taste. Her father noticed her worried frown. "There is no one better suited to rule our kingdom then you, Relena. Your brother may have my looks, but you have my heart."

"That is not what worries me, father." She smiled at him, though it seemed to pain her to do so, and took his hand in hers. "Do you trust these people form the Alliance, father?"

King Marticus frowned, turning away from her. "No and neither should you. Ever since they pledged fealty to us they have been trying to fool me, electing their men into our royal council to try and place one of their own in the throne… You should be wary of them, especially now that the kingdom is so vulnerable. Pagan will be there to offer sound advice should you need it."

"What about Sally Po? She is a member of the Alliance… How can we trust her to take care of you? Would they not rather see you dead?"

"Sally can be trusted." The king's eyes betrayed his conviction, though Relena did not know how he could be so sure, she did not dare question him. "Still I would advise you to only go to her as a last resort. They will be keeping an eye on her and that would endanger you both."

She nodded. "Anything else I should know?"

"Beware of Romefeller as well. I know we have not heard much of them ever since they cut ties with our kingdom when your grandfather was still king, but whispers have been going on around the colonies that Oz has got a new leader and new ideals. Those ideals are being well accepted by many of our young men and women. Do not trust them, Relena. Their people have been known for adoring war and battle, and they will lie to you and use you to achieve their goals. Do not let them fool you."

"I will not, father." She squeezed his hand, feeling the hard protruding bones.

"I know, I know…" his eyes grew more and more unfocused with each passing minute, overcome by the fever that plagued him. "I am sorry, child. I am truly sorry."

"It is all right, father." Relena pushed his hair away from his forehead as his eyes drifted shut. "You should rest."

For another half hour the princess sat there watching her father drift in and out of a restless sleep. She realised whatever dreams his feverish brain was conjuring up must not be at all pleasant and wondered if she would be able to talk to him one last time before he was gone. Ever since the symptoms had started and the unwavering fever, he had been having less and less moments of lucidness. Holding his thinning hand in her own and watching him suffer, she allowed two lonely tears to trace salty white lines down her cheeks. Relena had the fateful feeling that was the last time she would be seeing him alive. She placed a farewell kiss on his forehead before she walked out.

XXX

Leaning on his staff as if it were a mere walking stick, wizard J – ruler of winds – surveyed the enormous throne room. Once, the five colonies had formed together a kingdom ruled by the most powerful wizards of the entire world. That kingdom had been the centre of their civilization. At that time, this room was always full of noble men and women surrounding the five large thrones, offering numerous tributes… No magic or wisdom could even rival the five wizards'. Now, there was little left. The throne room was no longer warm and bright, but moist and dark. _A lugubrious tomb. _He tightened the hold on his staff.

Wizard G, the vice president of their council and master of darkness, was second to arrive. He took his seat without a word, not bothering to greet his old comrade. Their council had not dared reunite after the collapse of their great kingdom two centuries before, but G seemed to have had enough inactivity and had summoned them all there that morning. J could only wonder what his motivation had been…Wizards S and H ruled over fire and earth respectively. They arrived together, both looking preoccupied, surely also wondering the reason behind that sudden reunion. Without a word they resumed their seats after two long centuries. Wizard O arrived last, as the master of water he had always seemed to follow a rhythm of his own. J knew he had not been pleased by what he considered was a disturbance to his daily activities, but his expression betrayed nothing.

Though wizards aged much more slowly than the common folk, they had still aged and grown tired. J could see it in their faces as he claimed his own seat. As the council president, in the past, J had always been the first to speak, but this time he gestured for G to do the honours since he had been the one to bring them all together. He could feel the atmosphere grow agitated as the man prepared to speak.

"The shadows came to me last night and showed me… Death has come to claim King Marticus. What little time he has left is running out as we speak." G sat on the edge of his chair as he spoke. The shadows grew taller against the walls, responding to his building tension. He was tired of sitting around doing nothing… The first Peacecraft king had somehow discovered their true names, the only weapon that could destroy the wizards. They had exchanged their lives for the submission of their colonies, dismantling their kingdom. After that, their names had been passed from king to king until now… "He has not had the time to relay our names to his heir. It is time for us to act!"

"What say you, J?" H turned to their supposed leader.

"I knew the moment you arrived you would propose something of that nature." He smirked at G. Not even they knew each other's names. A wizard's name meant the key to his power. It could never be spoken by any lips but his own, so it had been script by one king to another and thus passed from generation to generation. There remained the chance though that those parchments had not been destroyed, but kept somewhere within the castle of Sanc. Should they take the risk? If they did not, they might have to continue living in fear for another two hundred years before another opportunity arose. "The wind of change is upon us."

"But even with the king in his dying bed the Sanc Kingdom should not be underestimated." It was S who spoke from behind his wooden nose. The real one he had lost battling a foreign swordsman 300 years before meeting his comrades, or so it was told.

"Without a ruler their forces will be divided. Prince Milliardo is still missing and the young Princess Relena has not yet come of age… Until she does, the kingdom will be without a rightful ruler and shrouded in chaos." G's arguments were strong, J knew, but there was still a lot to be considered.

"But the princess will be 21 in only two weeks and as soon as her birthday is past she will be crowned queen." H reminded them seriously. The ground shook as he slapped his hand against the arm of his chair. They all wanted to simply say 'yes', but to risk so much… They were far too old to make a hasted decision without weighting the pros and cons.

"Not if we kill her first." O finally spoke up, one of his hairless eyebrows arching up wickedly as he smiled.

"Kill the princess? That is no easy task, my friend." S shook his head vehemently. "Though if we accomplished the task we might grow to be even more powerful than we were two centuries ago… The Alliance claims to support the Peacecraft's government, but we all know better. I have seen it in the flames… They will try to obtain the crown from the inside, going over the princess' power to place one of their own in the throne through the royal council."

"The sands have shown me something different…" H cut in, twisting his black moustache between his thumb and forefinger. "Romefeller's military force – Oz – has a new leader now and intends to bring the princess to their side…"

"How do they propose to do that? As if she would turn against her own father!"

"My vision was not clear… I think they intend to kidnap her. Either way they will be attacking the capital with their military forces, making the Sanc Kingdom even more vulnerable."

"It will be our chance to strike." G punched the arm of his chair to emphasize his point. The shadows danced excitedly around them. "With the king gone and the princess not yet crowned, the Alliance will be giving the orders and between protecting Her Highness or the borders…"

"What _I _have foreseen is much more interesting…" O intertwined his fingers, waiting until all eyes had turned to him. "A new force is being born… It will be led by a masked man. A man whose revolutionary ideals are, at this very moment, motivating all sorts of unsatisfied radicals from all over the kingdom to join his cause, but that is not the worst part… What they intend is to destroy not only the Sanc Kingdom, but our entire civilization."

"A threat to us all…" J leaned forward. "I feel this situation will turn out to be more problematic than we first thought…" There was a long moment of silence in which all smiles were replaced by wrinkled frowns. Then a breeze blew through the window descending over J's staff in circles before spreading all over the floor and up into the walls. All the wizards turned to the master of winds. "We should act. It is time." He told them with a serious nod. "Is your power enough to summon the dragon riders?"

The five wizards exchanged glances, then one at a time they nodded.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Ever since I finished writting _The Governor's Daughter _I have wanted to write a different AU (alternate universe) fic and for the fantasy genre... I was torn between a pirate themed one and a medieval themed one. As you can see, I figured it would be easier to transfer the world of GW to a medieval set and this is the result so far. No idea where it's going yet so... Let me know what you think, what pairings you'd like to see or if I should just give up. That's it for now, folks! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**

Romefeller used to be one of the strongest, richest kingdoms in the entire land before the first Peacecrafts arrived. Their military force – also known as Oz – was unrivalled and it was only thanks to that military power that they had managed to maintain their independence when even the Alliance and the united colonies ruled by the wizard kings had succumbed. Still, the Peacecraft king had managed to weaken them and in more ways than one…

While the colonies occupied the plains and had an abundance of extremely fertile lands, Romefeller and Sanc were located in arid and mountainous regions which made them dependent on the food produced by the colonies. With the colonies now under Sanc and King Peacecraft's control a restriction had been imposed to their negotiations with Romefeller. It had taken them almost 2 centuries to get back on their feet and strengthen their military forces enough to be able to consider taking the power from the Peacecrafts. Now, with Oz under the command of Treize Kushrenada, the time seemed to have finally come for them to strike.

Lady Une's boots clip-clopped against the marble floors as she made her way deeper into the castle towards her superior's chambers. She had been more than honoured when the new leader had bestowed his confidence upon her and sent her to Sanc in a most important errand. Now, as she prepared to report to the man after almost a year, she could feel her chest swell with pride at not having disappointed him. In fact, things could not have gone more perfect.

Supressing a smile, she greeted the guards that stood at the door to Treize's rooms. She could practically see them shrink under her authoritative gaze before the oldest one knocked on the door announcing her arrival to their commander. "Send her in." his silk smooth tone so different from most other powerful men's could be heard through the door. The guard stepped out of Une's way with a bow. She barely gave him a second glance as she walked inside.

Treize stood by the window his hands clasped behind his back. He saw her reflection on the glass as she entered and turned around with a smile. "Welcome back, Lady."

"My lord." She bowed. For the last year or so she had worn only dresses and curtsied more than necessary to keep her disguise while in Sanc. When she worked it was like she became someone else. That was why she was flawless. The perfect spy. "I have fulfilled my mission as requested. King Marticus' body was being veiled when I left."

"I know." He continued smiling at her. "You were impeccable."

"Thank you, my lord." Another bow. Une's heart was light with joy, but her façade remained unreadable.

It had not been long since Treize's arrival. He had not been born in the kingdom, but far away in the Land of the Rising Sun. No one knew anything about him aside from the fact that he was no stranger to battle and war and a proficient swordsman a trait which had earned him the respect of Duke Dermail – the current sovereign – as well as the highest position within Oz. All kinds of stories were whispered about him, but Une did not believe any of them. He carried himself differently than anyone she had ever met and for some reason he could see beyond her many faces. That was all she knew and it both puzzled and scared her.

Still smiling, he made his way to her. "Has anyone filled you in on our plans yet?" at her nod he continued. "What do you think? You have been inside the capital, inside the castle… You have seen their strengths and their weaknesses…"

"Your plan is flawless, my lord."

He did not look pleased by her response and walked back to the window. "What if I told you I intend to make you my right hand?"

For the first time in her life, Une felt her mask slip. There was nothing she could do except stare at him wide-eyed and wonder if this was some kind of jest. She did not think Treize would be that cruel, but then again she barely knew him. He turned around at her lack of an answer and smiled once more when he saw the look on her face.

"What about Lucrezia Noin?" she asked. Lucrezia Noin had come with Treize from lands unknown to her and she had always assumed the man trusted the short haired woman-knight more than he did her. Apparently, she had misjudged him _again_.

"It is true I have known Lucrezia longer than I have known you, but that does not mean I know her better or trust her more." He answered as if he had read her mind. "And I feel the two of us are starting to understand each other…"

She felt her breath catch in her throat and had to make quite an effort not to let the mask fall again. "To be your right hand… Would be a great honour." She met his tender gaze for a moment and bowed without another word.

XXX

A ball of blue fire materialized in the heart of the mountain, in the centre of a cave, flickering with the wind. Voices surged from its core, old thunderous voices chanting words in a tongue long lost. The voices travelled and echoed around the natural sanctuary, disturbing the silent atmosphere. On top of a boulder, the statue of a sleeping dragon curled up under its left wing seemed unaffected by the agitation. The flame grew a little more, turning from blue to green as the voices became louder. Wind gusted across the flame making it flicker. The ground started shaking, lightly at first, then violently as the ancient words echoed even louder within the rock walls.

Suddenly, the dragon statue started to crack. Thin black lines ran all over the rock until it had turned into dust and a real living breathing dragon appeared from underneath the now destroyed mineral layer. Two shiny green eyes opened, their pupils contracting and dilating as they adjusted to the light. The large wing, covered in iron coloured scales, moved slowly away to reveal a young man carrying a long sword on his belt.

The man looked down at his dark green tunic and black riding boots before meeting the dragon's eyes. "Wing." He whispered, and the creature emitted a gurgling sound with the back of its throat before touching its muzzle to the young man's hand. "We have been summoned."

Wing stood up, stretching his wings and shaking the remaining dust off his scales. His back stood a good 2.5 metres* above the ground so he lied back down for his rider to mount. He could barely wait to fly again. "Go." His partner whispered in his ear, and he jumped out of the cave and into the skies, extinguishing the already dying magic fire as he went.

They were like one with the wind. Wing's scales shining like silver when the sunlight reflected on them. Soon they spotted another dragon with its rider. This dragon's scales were pitch black and if not for the sun it would have looked like nothing more than a shadow with blazing yellow eyes. The rider was dressed all in black as well, covered with a cloak that made him look like death itself. He smiled when Wing slowed down to keep up with him.

"Heero!" he greeted the other rider. "Long time no see!"

"Maxwell." Wing's rider nodded in acknowledgement.

"You know what this is about?"

"No."

"Well… Look! There's Trowa! Trowa!"

Ahead of them a brown eyed red dragon halted in mid-air. As soon as they caught up to it, the dragon resumed its flight. The three riders and their dragon partners were now side-by-side. Trowa raised a hand in greeting. "So you've been summoned as well."

"Yeah. Scythe and I just woke up from our beauty sleep… Man, is it good to be flying again!" Duo Maxwell petted the black dragon's neck. "How long has it been?"

"600 years or so…" Trowa was not entirely sure. In fact, it had been so long he could barely remember when they had last been awoken or what had happened then. Though being frozen in time preserved their youth the same could not be said about their memories.

"Boy, are you old!"

"You are just as old as we are, Maxwell." Heero commented in a monotone from Duo's other side, and Scythe's rider could swear Wing was snickering at him. He pouted.

"There." Trowa cut in pointing at the ruins of an ancient courtyard not far ahead.

Two other dragon riders had already arrived. The one with white scales and hazel eyes was Sandrock, Quatre's partner. They recognised him immediately and, as they approached, they could also recognise the second one. It was Nataku, Wufei's dark blue grey eyed dragon. When all dragons spotted one another they roared excitedly in greeting. Quatre smiled up at his old team mates and waved, making his light brown cloak dance behind him. Wufei uncrossed his arms and watched their landing with narrowed black eyes, his white robes as impeccable as usual.

Across the courtyard, in front of a big rock that must have once been part of a column, stood the five wizards that had summoned them. Their impassive looks dissolved into small smirks as the newly arrived riders dismounted their dragons. Leaning on his staff Wizard J took a step forward, ready to speak for his comrades. Heero mimicked the action on their side of the ruins and kneeled to receive his orders. The other riders followed. Wing's green eyes burned into the old wizard's as the proud dragons refused to lower their heads. The wizard's smile widened.

* * *

_* If I am not mistaken, 2.5 metres is, approximately, 8 feet. As for the dragons' overall size I imagine that they would be slightly bigger than a Clydesdale horse, that would make them big enough to be intimidating, but not impossible to ride._

**A.N.: **I've had so many ideas for this story this last week... And though I was aiming for different pairings to get out of my comfort-zone, I think this will be another one of my Heero/Relena fanfics, featuring other "classic" pairings as well. I think this will also be an interesting opportunity to explore the relationship between Heero and Wing (since he is no longer a machine)... Look for updates soon! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

The image reflected on the lake outside the abandoned castle was one of grief. Hundreds of people gathered around the pyre where the body of King Marticus laid waiting. They had dressed him in his finest robes and jewellery, including a heavy chain with gold circles that had once held his cloak in place. Only the crown would be left behind for the next king to come. Silence reigned supreme as the royal counsellor handed Princess Relena the torch so she could light the pyre and send her father to the other world.

"I thought the queen was supposed to do that…" Duo commented outraged as he sat on a rock by the edge of the lake chewing on a piece of bread.

"What does it matter, Maxwell?" Wufei snapped at him just as the fire in the distant image started to catch and the first wisps of smoke clouded their vision of the scene.

Wizard J's staff pounded against the stone floor. The wind rippled the water making the vision created by Wizard O disappear. Quatre laid a hand on Duo's shoulder to stop him from complaining. It would not do for them to disrespect the men that had brought them back to life.

"I think it is time for you to take flight." Wizard H spoke from Trowa's side.

"Is now really the right time to attack?" Quatre asked in a whisper as Heero stepped beside him. "They are still mourning their king…"

"We follow orders. Nothing more, nothing less." Their leader told him quietly. He could see by Trowa's and Wufei's eyes that they were not pleased either, but they had no other choice. It was their blessing and their curse… They were the legendary dragon riders. "We take flight." Heero set off towards Wing who had his grey head raised expectantly. "Now." He added over his shoulder.

The rise and fall of the dragons' strong wings lifted whatever dust there was around, forcing the wizards to watch their departure with squinted eyes. Wing stretched his neck and roared, baring pointy white fangs. It sounded like a war cry, but Heero knew better. They grey dragon had a mind of his own and opinions he shared with his rider through visions. Heero trusted the dragon like no other, he knew the creature was older than all of the wizards and riders put together and its wisdom was worth relying upon.

Chang Wufei caught up with them then. Nataku's long body waving almost as freely as a flag, his flexibility and swimming ability were his special traits and had helped his rider in numerous occasions. "This is not fair." Wufei told Heero in barely controlled angry tones. "The enemy must be prepared for the fight to be just!"

"Life is not fair, Chang."

"Our victory will not be quite as glorious." He frowned, disgusted by what they were about to do.

"It never is." Heero agreed. He looked down at his sword as it glowed inside its scabbard. The wizards had infused it with some sort of magic so that as soon as it pierced the princess' body it would drain her of whatever power she had that the old men wanted. That did not seem fair to him either, but there was nothing they could do about it, except…

"What did you see?" it was Quatre who spoke, he always knew what the other riders were feeling an ability that was not always appreciated, but that had saved them before.

"The dragons will start roaring as we approach the capital to warn the citizens."

"But those creepy old men will be watching us!" Duo cut in. His long braid wiping behind him as Scythe picked up his pace for a moment to catch up with Wing and Nataku. "As much as I hate them and this whole situation I do not want to go back to being a rock."

It was a fear that did not pertain to him alone, but though time had taught them what rules to follow it had also taught them how to twist those rules in their favour. "Their orders were very clear." Trowa, who had been silent until that moment, decided to speak, though his dragon made no effort to catch up with the others. It did not seem to mind they were bringing the rear. "Distract the Alliance knights and soldiers. Kill the princess with one of the glowing weapons. They never said a word about us not giving them time – however little – to prepare for battle."

"Trowa is right." Heero agreed. "We are allowed to make our own plan and use our own methods."

"So we will do what we always do?" Duo asked hopeful yet disbelieving, but the others nodded.

Silence fell around them as the blurred black dots in the horizon slowly grew into the castle of Sanc and the city around it. They reviewed their old strategy in their minds, checking their weapons and whispering encouraging words to their dragon partners. Many memories may have been lost to them during the last few centuries, but none of them were memories of past battles. Those memories remained as vivid as if they had happened the day before. It was tormenting.

The dragons started roaring one at a time as the group reached the city walls. Heero and Wufei gained some altitude making circles around each other like hungry vultures. Duo, Quatre and Trowa made slow circles around the town, watching for the others' signal. From the sky, Wing and Nataku could see when the first people spotted them and the commotion that ensued. King Marticus' pyre was still burning, but no one seemed to be paying it any mind anymore. There were civilians running in all directions and soldiers fetching weapons as knights shouted orders.

In the middle of the chaos, Heero spotted their target. Princess Relena was wearing a simple black dress, her face completely hidden behind a dark veil. The gold crown the only thing denoting her identity. An old man was goading her inside, but she did not seem frightened as she continued directing people towards the forest behind the castle and away from the town. _A few more days and she would have been queen…_

When the majority of civilians seemed to be away from the danger zone and the first armed soldiers started climbing up on rooftops to try and hit them with their arrows came the sign to attack. Trowa's dragon – Kai¹ – plunged into the town below twirling back into flying stance just before it hit the stone pavement, then he opened his sharp-teethed mouth and spit fire into the wooden huts around them. They caught almost immediately, the fire spreading far too fast for anyone to be able to do anything.

Looking up, Trowa could see Scythe fly by a roof taking a soldier between his teeth and pushing a couple more off the edge with its wings. He felt sorry for the man in the dragon's jaws… If only it had been Sandrock. Quatre's dragon partner had a venomous bite that killed its victims painlessly, Duo's had sharp teeth hence its name. There was also the fact that scythes were Maxwell's weapon of choice. The gory way he killed contrasted shockingly with his friendly and gleeful personality. Trowa himself preferred crossbows and bows.

Suddenly, just as his dragon started spitting out fire again, he saw a young woman run into one of the houses. He tried to stop Kai, but the dragon was already engaged and would not listen, so Trowa jumped off the creature's back and dashed after the woman. She was kneeling down next to a small bed, in front of an open chest, pulling things out in a desperate search when he found her. Trowa could see the fire spreading from the roof to the walls.

"Come." He hurried to her side, grabbing her arm. "We must go before the house collapses."

She slapped his hand away, her tearful yet piercing grey eyes reprimanding him for interrupting. "I need to find my money. It is all I have."

He looked from the woman to the entrance and then back to the woman. Soon the flames would reach the doorframe and they would be trapped. Trowa fought the growing need to cough, he could feel the sweat building up on his forehead and knew he had to make a decision fast. Pulling the crossbow from behind his back, he hit her on the head with the tiller² only hard enough for her to lose consciousness and dragged her outside almost getting himself scorched as he crossed the flames that blocked the exit.

Quatre was running towards him as he emerged. "Trowa! Are you all right?"

"Yes, just…" he practically threw the unconscious lady at the other man as he fell on his hands and knees in a coughing fit. "Need to… catch…my breath."

"What do you intend to do with her?"

Trowa shook his head. "I cannot leave her here…"

"You do not mean…" Quatre's eyes widened. "We cannot take her back to the other civilians. We would be killed!"

"I know. I am taking her with me back to the ruins."

Just as the other rider was about to protest they heard a loud roar coming from the direction of the castle. "It's Wing. Heero's in trouble." Quatre returned the young woman to Trowa and turned his back, running towards Sandrock who was waiting next to Kai. "Stay here." He shouted before taking off and disappearing among the smoke.

XXX

"Yuy." Wufei called Heero's attention.

They halted in their circling as the princess finally started making her way back to the castle. "Wing." He called the dragon's attention as well, watching as the creature snapped its head to the same direction as him. The piercing green gaze seemed to lock into the frail figure of the princess before Wing dove in high speed in her direction. Nataku followed at a slower speed.

The lady's veiled head lifted up and she seemed to read their ill intentions in their precise movements. She took the old man's hand in hers pulling him behind her as she ran towards the safety of the castle's stone walls. Heero's eyes narrowed and he leaned even further forward to increase their speed. His right hand fastened itself firmly around the hilt of his long sword. _Just a little more…_

A rock the size of Wing's head came flying straight to them then and the dragon had to spin out of its way not to get hit. As the pair restored their balance, Heero watched the princess disappear inside the castle. He gritted his teeth. They turned towards the catapults that continued launching rocks at them. Wing bared his teeth at them angrily.

"Go after her. I will cover you." Wufei shouted finally catching up with them. Nataku immediately turned away and headed to the catapults.

"Go." Heero told his dragon, but before they could resume their flight an arrow flew past them grazing Wing under his left eye. Enraged the beast roared, its eyes focusing dangerously on the soldier who had shot the offending projectile. When the man noticed the blood under the dragon's eye and the burning flame in the wild green orbs, his arms started shaking. He dropped bow and arrow and turned tail, but it was too late. Within seconds Wing had him between his teeth. It was just the opportunity the enemy needed.

The metal balls that came flying towards them had chains attached to them. They wrapped themselves around the dragon's neck and wing, dragging him to the ground. As Wing struggled against the bindings, roaring and beating his free wing, trying desperately not to fall, Heero lost his balance. Realising he was going to fall no matter what, the young man took impulse on the creature's back and jumped towards one of the unburnt houses as far as he could reach. He fell through the hay covered roof onto the hard stone floor below.

Quatre and Wufei were running into the building even before he had come to grips with the pain. "Wing?" he hissed when he saw them.

"We cannot help him." Quatre kneeled beside him, his face contorted in grief.

"We must retreat. It has been too long. We were not prepared for this." Wufei said simply.

"Let us go. The wizards will be able to heal you."

They carried him between them out of the little house and onto Sandrock's sturdy back. Duo and Scythe were covering them from the sky, mindful of the flying rocks, arrows and chained balls. The black dragon was bleeding from at least two arrow wounds, but those did not seem to bother him.

"Have you seen Barton?" Wufei asked Quatre as they finally took flight.

"He went on ahead."

Duo caught up to them, relieved to be leaving the warzone behind. "Is he alive?"

"I _am _alive, Maxwell." Heero snapped at him with some difficulty.

"What's up with all the blood then?"

"That's mine." Quatre motioned to his tight where part of an arrow could still be seen sticking out of the flesh.

"Ow…" Duo cringed sympathetically.

"None of your wounds hurt more than defeat." Wufei's tone was cold and venomous.

In morbid silence they made their way back to the ruins.

* * *

¹If someone did not know, the upgraded version of Gundam Heavyarms (the one that appears in Endless Waltz) is called Gundam Heavyarms _Kai _that's where the dragon's name came from.

²The old term for the bar that supports the bow, forming the main body of the crossbow.

**A. N.: **Firstly, I am really glad this fic seems to have gathered a small number of followers already. I know it's fantasy, but I promise I won't make it too crazy or cheesy, stuff it with fairies and glitter. I _am_ a guy after all. Haha Oh, and I already have the 'skeleton' for more than half of the story done so you do not need to worry about my giving it up anytime soon. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

"My princess." The young guard that kneeled at her feet was excited and out of breath. She could see the sweat on his forehead and the dirt from the smoke… Reminders of the many burnt homes. The people were returning to the town to measure their losses. Watchers had been sent to the walls to warn the others in case the dragon riders returned. Relena was not the one currently giving the orders, but the men still looked up to her. "We have captured a dragon." He continued obviously proud though his eyes also had something mad about them. _This is what fear does to men. _She nodded in acknowledgement. "How should we proceed, Your Highness?"

"Take me to it." The princess heard herself say before she could give it a second thought. The guard looked confused, surely she had gone mad… Why would she risk her safety when all she needed was to order them to kill the beast? "Now, guard." To emphasize her point she laid her hands on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. _Treat them as equals. _Her father had taught her.

Blushing, the young man made it back to his feet. "T-This way, Your Highness."

Relena removed her veil and handed it to one of her mother's maids before following him. Ever since she had received the news of her husband's death, the queen had been feverish and bedridden, according to Sally Po there was not much a physician like herself could do to fix a broken heart. It bothered the young princess to see her proud mother lying delirious in bed, it was too much like what had happened to the king and it worried her. They had their feuds, that was true, but that did not mean Relena wanted her mother dead or did not love her. She made a mental note to visit the queen later, tell her about the ceremony and maybe she should leave the attack that had interrupted its ending out of the story.

The entrance to the dungeons was not wide enough for the guards to drag the dragon through so they had taken the creature to the royal stables. Once all horses had been safely removed, the iron coloured dragon had been tightly tied up to the wooden pillars that supported the building as well as chained to metal rings attached to the walls and to stakes buried all over the dirt covered floor. It could barely move, merely lie there with its arms and legs near its body and its wings tied firmly to its sides. Both head and tail were stretched and tied to a point where it looked not only uncomfortable but nearly painful.

The princess stood there impassive, watching as the beast continued trying to free itself not caring about the chains that dug into its flesh. One of the knights who were in charge of the group approached her. "Your Highness." He kneeled. "We are ready to kill the monster as soon as we have your order."

A wild green eye met hers, and Relena shivered. "No. You will not kill nor harm him anymore." She told the man with all the confidence she could muster. He stared up at her, gapping and confused. The guard who had taken her there seemed to have come to terms with the fact that she was indeed out of her mind. "You will not tell anyone of the Alliance about this." She hurriedly added as she felt their suspicion grow. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, my princess."

"Now, send one of your men to my mother's chambers and tell Sally Po I need her here immediately. The rest of you may leave."

"But… I… Princess Relena, I do not mean to sound insulting or…" the old knight cleared his throat uncomfortably. He had never had much contact with the princess before, but having known her father his entire life, he had expected her to have a little more sense. "It is very dangerous for Your Highness, or anyone for that matter, to be left here alone with that monster."

She smiled sweetly at him. "I appreciate your concern, Sir, but I assure you I can take care of myself."

"Yes, my lady." He nodded however reluctantly and stood up. "We will do as you say."

"Thank you."

Once they had left her alone with the dragon, Relena took a step forward. The beast struggled against its bindings, but they were firm. The princess could see a mix of fear and rage in the creature's eyes. It was obvious they had hit and wounded the dragon as they dragged him to that place, and even though he seemed exhausted he was not willing to give up the fight. _What a majestic creature… _She took a deep breath and held it as she walked even closer. The winged beast grew tense with each step, its bindings stretched to their limits, still there seemed to be no fear in the young woman's heart as she slowly raised her arm and stretched her hand towards him.

The dragon's green eyes were wide and his breathing haggard. He was forcing the ropes and chains as hard as he could, but they would not budge. The princess' small hand finally reached him, her fingertips grazing the cut beneath his eye softly before she laid her cool palm on his strong jaw. The dragon relaxed immediately as if all strength had been drained from him. He lowered his head until it was resting on the ground and took a deep weary breath, shuddering.

Relena finally let go the breath she had been holding, closing her eyes for a second to regain her composure. She kneeled by the noble beast, running her hand over its strong shoulders as she observed the damage her men had made. The scales were not cold like a snake's, but hot like coal, it surprised her, and with every breath the dragon took it was like the creature was talking to her heart. Her eyes filled with tears when she realised the least place this free spirit should be was tied up in her stables. She blinked the tears away when Sally walked in.

"Princess Relena." The older woman made a curtsy. "How may I be of service?" it was only when she lifted her head that Sally noticed the dragon behind the princess. She looked from one to the other in a mix of confusion and apprehension.

"Sally…" Relena not only approached the physician, but took the woman's hands in hers. "You are the only one I can trust who has some knowledge of healing…" she looked over her shoulder at the dragon's exhausted form. "He needs help."

"_He_?" Sally too looked over Relena's shoulder, but with a frown. "How…"

"I just know." The young princess shook her head dismissively. "Please… At the very least have a look at him."

The physician sighed. How could she deny the princess? She was even pleading… "I will see what I can do, but I will make no promises."

Relena nodded and the two women walked back to the dragon. Sally examined the cut under its eye and the numerous cuts and bruises he had from the chains and ropes that held him. None of the wounds seemed highly concerning or were life threatening. The creature was merely stressed and exhausted. Those were her impressions as she relayed them to the princess.

"What do you think he eats? Do you think he drinks water?" Relena questioned when the older woman was finished.

"I could not say, my lady… I suppose his rider would be the only one to know the answers to those questions."

"His…rider!" the princess' eyes widened as she realised she had forgotten to ask the old knight and his men about the dragon's rider. "Sally, do you know anything about him?"

"No, but I doubt he could have survived the fall… Though if he had not, his body would have already been found and I would have already known."

"Could he be hiding in the town?"

"Seems probable. I am sure there are men looking for him as we speak. Your Highness should not fear."

"No, I…" Relena turned back to the dragon who seemed to have fallen asleep. "I want to meet him."

Sally's eyes widened for a moment, but a small smile soon took over her lips. It had a sad edge to it. "I am leaving, Princess Relena. I hear they are in need of physicians in the colonies. I wished Your Highness and Her Majesty would accompany me."

"Accompany you?" the princess echoed surprised, then shook her head gravely. "Pagan has already made that suggestion to my mother, but she refuses to leave the castle… She has not been the same since Milliardo's disappearance and now that father's gone… No. Thank you, Sally, but we will remain here in Sanc where we belong."

"Will my lady forgive me if I leave?"

Relena smiled and shook her head yet again. "There is nothing to forgive. My mother's pain is self-inflicted so there is not much you can do here at the moment, Sally. Go help my people."

"I will." Sally made one last curtsy and turned to leave. "Farewell, Princess Relena." She added over her shoulder.

XXX

_Do not fidget, do not fidget. _Duo could not stand the silence any longer, but he would not dare look up at the wizards either. They were all sitting at the heavy cherry wood table, side-by-side, with blank expressions on their faces or so they had been the last time he had dared to look up. Wufei stood beside him, his expression just as blank as the old men's. Trowa, who stood next to Wufei, also stared at the floor looking nothing short of guilty. Duo still could not believe he had brought a woman back with him…

Heero sat against the wall, one leg stretched and the other acting as support for his arm. All his broken bones and internal injuries had already been fixed, but the soreness would not go away so soon. It was one of the side effects of healing magic. He had his eyes closed though Duo could not tell if it was due to the pain or something else… If Wing were suffering Heero would know, he would be able to feel it.

Somewhere between Heero and him, supporting his weight against a column, was Quatre, his wounded thigh also healed and aching. He smiled when his eyes met Duo's, but it looked more like a grimace. The same thing seemed to be running over all their minds… Would they be punished? How? Would the wizards dismiss them, turning them back into stone? Or did they deserve a second chance?

"… unacceptable." Wizard H's voice cut through his thoughts and Duo finally forced himself to look up. The older man slammed his fist on the table. "This is unacceptable."

"H…" wizard S turned towards his comrade, his tone soothing, but H would not let him speak.

"Not only did they fail to kill the princess and lose one dragon, but they brought a spy back with them! The dragon riders were supposed to be an unstoppable force, not a bunch of irresponsible brats!"

Wizard G actually chuckled and the five magicians started arguing amongst themselves. Wufei turned to Trowa. "What were you thinking?" he hissed low enough that their masters would not overhear.

Trowa avoided the other rider's gaze, hiding behind his bangs. "She looks exactly like my sister did."

"Your sister died centuries ago."

"I know."

"Chang, please." It was Quatre who had limped towards them. In Heero's 'absence' he was usually the one to take charge. "Do you not believe in reincarnation?"

Wufei snorted, turning back to the table just as the wizards' argument came to an end. It was wizard S who spoke next. "Would you explain to us what happened? Why did you fail?"

Duo turned to the others in a near panic. Trowa continued frowning at his feet, Wufei was glaring at an apparently random spot on the floor and Heero looked lost to the world. He opened his mouth to speak, but Quatre shook his head and stepped forward. As he prepared to explain though, Heero beat him to it.

"It was my fault." His eyes finally opened as everyone's attention turned to him. "Wing showed me what would happen, but I went through with it anyway."

"Heero…" Quatre started, but this time it was Wufei who interrupted.

"Why do you not just admit that that dragon of yours is dangerous? You cannot control him, Yuy. He was completely overcome by rage as he assaulted that soldier leaving you both open for an attack. I saw it all with my own eyes."

"I did tell him he was crazy when he picked _that _dragon…" Duo mumbled earning a rare glare from Quatre.

Meanwhile, Heero's glare was directed at a different rider. "He knows what he is doing, whether you believe it or not, and I trust him."

"I always thought you were mad, Yuy, but that… That just proves it."

"Enough!" wizard J pounded on the floor with his staff. He could see the fire burning in the young men's eyes… It would not do for them to fight amongst themselves. "Whether your beast has a plan or not, he is now in the hands of the Alliance and very well restrained I should presume. So, Heero… What do you plan to do?"

Heero gritted his teeth as he pushed himself to his feet using the wall as support. Once standing he was able to, thankfully, maintain a straight enough posture. "I am going after him."

"Well, then…" Wizard G watched them over the length of his long nose. "You should know Oz might strike at any moment."

"Let us accompany him." Quatre asked in a pleading tone.

"No." it was wizard J who answered. "You will attract too much attention. Let him make up for his mistake by going alone."

He did not seem to mind. He made a bow, shorter than usual due to the pain, and strolled away grimacing lightly. Duo and Quatre watched him go, unhappily. Wufei remained impassive while Trowa still had to see what would be done with the unfortunate girl he had been foolish enough to bring with him.

"Trowa?" wizard O called him as if reading his mind. "Is the young woman awake yet? You will bring her to us for questioning as soon as she is then. From now on she is your responsibility."

Relieved and grateful, he kneeled to the wizards, hoping the lady would not get him into any trouble once she came to.

* * *

**A.N.: **The idea of making the dragon an homeothermic creature despite it being physically a lot more similar to a reptile than a mammal was just too romantic to pass. I had this image of a dragon with a heart made of burning coal in my head and I just could not let it go... And it seems, for once, I've decided not to write an incestuous story and be true to canon making Catherine Trowa's sister. The love she has for him just never felt like a sister's love to me though... I'm not sure any of you feel that way as well, anyways... Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

Wrapped up in a dark blue cloak with a hood over her head, Relena made her way past the guards and out of the castle. Pagan would have never allowed her to leave if he knew, not to mention the Alliance members who seemed all so wary of her since her father had passed. She knew they were trying to find a way past her and onto the throne, but almost half the council still supported her family and her future reign, which would be starting in three days if everything went according to plan, so even though they were the ones giving the orders the kingdom seemed safe for now. With that problem out of her mind the princess was able to focus on the task at hand… finding the dragon's rider.

The first sun rays graced the skies as she made her way into the town. It saddened her to see old men tearfully picking through the rubble that had once been their homes and their families'. Once she was in charge she would be sure to help them, for now she had to preserve her disguise. She approached a couple boys who were playing with wooden swords. _They must not be older than seven… _It worried her to see them pretending to be at war. Her father had wanted their people to live in peace and learn to be good and kind, but now he was gone and peace with him.

"Excuse me, boys. Have you heard anything about the searches for the dragon's rider?" Relena lowered herself to their level. She was confident they would not recognise her. Boys did not care about princesses, but they did care about knights and dragons and were always attentive to the adults' conversations however absentminded they might seem.

"They didn't find anything." One of them, the more innocent looking one, answered her.

"Yet." The older boy corrected him. "They are still searching."

"Where are they searching?" the disguised princess asked them.

"Yesterday, they were near the market by the unburnt houses."

Relena nodded, pulling two gold coins out of her cloak's inner pocket. "Thank you."

She was relieved to find the market had not been destroyed, but was bursting with life even more than usual. Merchants argued amongst themselves in hushed tones. Should they close shop and leave or remain and hope those war rumours were no more than that? Mothers seemed to be already stocking on food for the upcoming war, not daring to take any chances. Overall, despite the crowd, the market seemed quieter, the atmosphere one of tension and uncertainty.

Skidding slowly through the mob and food stands Relena suddenly found herself in front of the blacksmith's. Not satisfied with her progress making it past the market to the unburnt houses, she did not see any reason not to stop at the shop for a few minutes and ask some questions. Inside, a tall grey haired man covered in sweat and dirt was surveying the swords assembled on one of the wooden tables. The princess could not tell whether those weapons were for sale or not. Those hanging off the walls around them surely were.

"Excuse me…"

The man turned to her, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his gloved hand. He seemed utterly confused to find that small young woman standing in the middle of his shop. Thankfully, a woman walked in through the back door with a smile. "Hello. How may I help you?"

Relena was unsure of who to address since the man was practically blocking her view of the other woman, who – she presumed – was his daughter. "I was wondering if you could give me some information… I can pay."

"Another foreigner?" the woman asked curving her body so she could take a better look at the lady standing in front of the blacksmith. "Are you lost? Or do you want to know about the dragon too?"

"The dragon?" in her excitement she forgot about the scary big man and walked past him to the other young woman. "Someone else came inquiring about it?"

"Oh, many people… Did you know that monster almost fell on top of our shop? The guards were still trying to restrain it when we came back from the forest… We had to wait at a safe distance until they had dragged it away. And, no, we do not know where they took it, before you ask."

"Do you know where the rider fell?"

"A few houses up that way…" the blacksmith's daughter pointed the direction. "They're saying he turned to dust the moment his body hit the ground… I'm not sure I believe that, but I can't see a man walking alive out of that house after falling through the roof the way he did. Are these dragon riders really magical?"

"I would not know." Relena shook her head awkwardly. "Did any of the foreigners attract your attention in any particular way?"

"Hmmm…" she looked thoughtful for a moment, but shook her head. "There was a young man, in his mid-twenties I should think, that one seemed lost and a young wizard looking for dragon scales – that one crawled all over the street – but mostly treasure hunters and mercenaries. Heaven knows what they can get out of this…"

"Thank you." The princess placed a few coins on the counter in front of the older woman. "Thank you very much."

"My lady… This is far too much." The blacksmith's daughter stared at her wide-eyed and gapping.

Relena shook her head with a smile and disappeared into the crowd.

XXX

Zechs Merquise walked through the camp surveying the new recruits. Most of them were young and angry, deeply unsatisfied with their respective rulers and kingdoms, and had joined him because of his revolutionary ideas. He could see the awe in their eyes as he passed by, the majority of them had only heard of him until that moment, but now they were seeing him for the first time. The incarnation of all the things they believed in. The mask had turned him into something more than a man, it had turned him into an ideal, but even an ideal could not survive on its own. It was these people that would turn his ideas into reality. So he nodded politely at them as he walked and greeted those courageous enough to approach him.

At the end of the camp, the biggest of all tents kept his second secret, acting as yet another type of mask. It was in front of that tent that Quinze waited for him in his silver chest plate and blue cape. Zechs had met the older man in the Land of the Rising Sun and their similar ideas had driven them together almost immediately. After sitting together, scheming for nights on end, they had finally decided to return to Sanc Kingdom and put their plan to work. In some ways, Quinze had become like a second father to him as well as a close friend.

"News from Sanc?" he asked the older man, stopping beside him in front of the tent.

"No, but there are news from Romefeller."

"From Lucrezia? What did she say?"

"They are ready to attack the capital and they will probably do it sooner rather than later. Should we intervene?"

"No." Zechs shook his head. "Let them continue what the dragon riders started, then there will be less for us to finish. Have you discovered what the dragon riders want or who they are serving?"

"Lady Lucrezia said the rumours around Romefeller are that they fight for the colonies."

"The colonies? You think they want independence?"

"I do think so. Aside from the princess no one other than the five wizards possesses enough power to summon them."

Zechs did, but that was the sort of information he kept only to himself. The royal blood coursing through his veins had once been a reason for pride, now it was no more than a barrier stopping him from being who he wanted to be and doing what he needed to do. He knew people wondered who the man behind the mask was… They could not see the mask was his real face. The face beneath it was a farce, the face of a ghost. It was as much an ideal as the mask itself, but that one ideal did not represent him.

He patted Quinze on the shoulder as he prepared to enter the tent. "How is he?"

"As unruly as ever. If I did not know better, I would say that dragon thinks he is royalty." The old man's eyes betrayed his displeasure and Zechs patted his shoulder again before finally stepping in.

The wine coloured dragon had been Treize's discovery – Epyon he had named the beast – but the only son of Angelina Kushrenada had no intention of becoming a dragon rider and so that choice had been left to Zechs. Dragons were magic creatures and, like most magic creatures that shared their lives with humans, there were rules that needed to be followed if a human wanted to bond with them… To become a dragon rider meant giving up your own life and freedom in exchange for the power only a dragon could give you. Yet even that power could not be employed to fulfil the rider's own selfish interests unless the master – whose magic kept the rider alive – demanded. The dragon was subject to similar rules once bonded with a human, therefore both parties had to be willing for a real dragon rider to be born.

So far, Epyon had proved to be a very temperamental dragon as well as an intelligent one. Though he could not speak he found ways of communicating with them and understood everything they said. He had grown quite demanding. Still Zechs felt a sort of connection to the beast and bonding with it slowly turned from a mere dream into a possibility. Only one thing had stopped him… Lucrezia Noin. Her love and admiration meant the world to him, that was why he had not revealed to her his actual plans of destroying the entire kingdom as well as the colonies and Romefeller so he could start from scratch. Sooner or later she would discover it all though and then there would be no stopping her from leaving him.

The dragon's bright green eyes met his when he entered the tent. "The day is near, Epyon. Soon we will brave the skies together." Zechs knew they would have some time, however limited, to do as they wished before the curse claimed them and turned them into stone and it was about all he could do to hope that that time would be enough for him to finish what he had started.

* * *

**A.N.: **Shorter than usual. I know, but it could not be helped. The next one will be longer. Writting Zechs' part reminded me of _Batman Begins, _the whole idea of becoming more than just a man and the mask being his true face... I've wanted to be Batman since I was 2 or 3. That's how much I admire the character and his story. If you haven't seen the movie yet you definitely should, all three of them, they're great. As usual... Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

Heero's eyes ran over the pile of straw where he had fallen after going through the house's roof and realised he had actually parted the main wood beam with his weight. Not a good memory. He could still feel some reminiscing pain… And to think he had fallen so close to the spot where Wing had landed. Maybe he should not have accepted Quatre and Wufei's explanations so readily, maybe he should have told them to help his dragon no matter the costs. He sighed, if only he had died this would have been over, but the bond between him and Wing could not be severed so easily. As long as one of them lived so would the other and though that might seem like a blessing to most, Heero knew better.

As he turned away from the building, he saw a hooded figure approaching and his hand automatically sought the hilt of his long sword careful not to expose the weapon he hid under his own cloak. When the stranger looked up though, he realised it was merely a young woman and relaxed. He still had no clues as to Wing's whereabouts so his only option would be to try and approach the castle as discreetly as he possibly could to try and locate the dragon on his own. The unknown lady halted right in front of him though, blocking his way before he could go far.

"Excuse me… Would you perhaps know if that is the house where the dragon rider fell?"

He wondered why she was asking. Was it not obvious by the damage? "Yes, that _is _the house."

As he prepared to start walking though he realised she was still staring at him, scrutinizing him and not going anywhere. "I am sorry, but… Are you the lost foreigner?" for a second he had thought he had been discovered and now, relieved as he was, he did not know what to say. The stranger seemed to notice and smiled as she explained. "I was just at the blacksmith's…"

"Yes…" Heero nodded, clearing his throat. "I'm afraid I am still lost. That woman would not stop going on about the dragon and did not give me any useful information." That was a lie, of course, information about Wing was all he wanted, but aside from the fact that he had fallen in front of the blacksmith's and been dragged away by the guards, Heero had learned nothing.

"Well, maybe I can help you. Where would you like to go?" the young lady lowered her hood to reveal a head covered in dark blonde hair.

That was the last thing he needed… "An inn should be fine."

"You should not linger here in Sanc." She told him, sounding genuinely concerned. "It seems a war is about to start… Would you mind if I took a look inside that house before we go?"

Heero watched as she walked past him and stepped right into the house without really waiting for his answer. As a lost foreigner he supposed all he could do was follow her inside… Perhaps she was more than just a curious girl. "Why are you interested in this house?" he wondered if he should have been more subtle or polite… He had not been around women in an awfully long time.

"It's not the house I am interested in." she smiled at him like he was an innocent child. "I am looking for the dragon's rider."

He stared at her back as she kneeled to inspect the straw. "Is that not the guards' job?"

"I heard there were guards looking for him…" she said absentmindedly as she stood back up.

"Is there a reward on his head?" Heero asked neutrally.

"Why? Would you be interested if there was?" she smiled at him as they stepped back out into the street and started making their way away from the market.

He wondered if she was joking or mocking him. She was not like the women he had met before, so he smiled back hoping she would not notice how forced that gesture was. He had not had to smile in an awfully long time either. "I might be."

"No. There is no reward. At least not that I know of…"

Heero noticed she had not lost the smile. "He could not possibly have survived the fall."

The young woman halted then and turned to him. "You really think so?" He was taken aback by the sudden sadness in her eyes so he could only nod. Thankfully, she resumed walking. Heero did not like it when she stared straight at him, it made him feel uneasy as if she could read his mind. _Ridiculous… _"I never asked your name." she said just as they started descending an empty street.

Heero could already see the sign that read 'inn', hanging above a simple wooden door down the street. He wondered what he should tell her, it was not like his name would reveal anything about who he truly was. Still… That young lady just smelled like trouble. Why was he even following her? Surely he could have come up with some better excuse and gotten himself out of this predicament, so why had he not done it yet? _Act on your emotions. _"My name is Heero."

"Heero…" she repeated in a whisper, making him feel uneasy in a whole new way. "I'm… Sylvia¹." Pausing for a second she made a brief curtsy and smiled. He bowed his head in return, at least he was not completely out of touch with decorum.

"If you do not mind me asking, _Sylvia_… Why are you so interested in this dragon rider? Is he someone you know?" he added the last question as a means of throwing her off balance. If she thought he was implying she was a traitor to her kingdom, she might be angry enough not to suspect him or his question.

"No, I do not know him. Or, at least, I do not think I do, though I would certainly like to." She smiled and there seemed to be some sort of dreamful gleam in her eyes.

His breath caught in his throat as he watched her from the corner of his eye. Her hair looked golden under the morning sun rays and he realised that part of it was pulled back in a braid, keeping the strands away from her face. She had that gentle smile that was almost permanent and still not forced, yet in her eyes he saw a strength and determination he had seen nowhere else before. _Who _is _this woman?_

"Well, here we are." She said. He looked up at the sign, following her gaze. "It was very nice meeting you, Heero. It is good to talk to someone my age for a change. I wish you luck on your journey."

That carefree girlish smile again. Heero bowed briefly and watched as she turned away, pulling the hood back over her head as she returned to the market street. For some reason he felt lost and empty, like something had been left unfinished. He shook the thoughts away. Now was not the time to act like a careless nobody and wonder about his feelings, he was a dragon rider with a mission. He started making his way towards the castle, only one thought in his mind… Wing.

XXX

Quatre was pacing around the lake. The movement not only eased the soreness in his thigh, but also cleared his mind. He could not believe they had been forced to stay behind while Heero trudged alone through enemy territory. Why did they have to obey these wizards anyways? Was there nothing they could do to stop them from turning them back into stone? What is they just disregarded those orders and went after Heero? They did not have to take their dragons and without them they would not attract as much attention.

"You know they are right." Wufei told him as if he had been reading his thoughts. The black haired rider was sitting on one of the many rocks that surrounded the little lake, polishing his sword. "Besides you'll be able to feel if Heero's in trouble."

"And if he is then what will we do? They will not let us leave." He stopped pacing and turned to his comrade exasperated. Wufei did not seem to notice, but someone else did. The big white dragon was suddenly behind the blonde man, nuzzling his shoulder. "Sandrock…" Quatre turned to his partner with a surprised look on his face. He closed his eyes then and smiled. "You are right. I do need to calm down and rationalize things rather than let my feelings get the best of me. Thank you."

He was still petting the dragon when Trowa walked out of the hall and into the courtyard. "They are talking to her right now…" he answered their curious looks. "She seemed confused and a little shocked. Maybe even angry… I barely had the time to explain anything to her, but I guess that is what they intended, after all they think she is a spy."

"You think they will let her go? After all she's seen…" Duo looked thoughtful as he scratched his chin.

"She might not want to. I do not think she has any family left." He could remember the young woman saying something to that effect, but he was not sure. Sometimes it felt like his past memories of his sister were mixing up with his current memories… He could not look at one girl and not see the other.

"If she does want to leave now though, I do not think she'll be able to do it. At least not in one piece." Wufei commented casually. "It would be risky for everyone here."

"You are absolutely right." They followed the voice to the archway where wizard O stood with his scary smile. He approached the lake slowly until he was close enough to see his own face reflected in the black water, then with a motion of his hand he conjured up the image of Sanc. With a frown he shifted their view to the top of the walls surrounding the city where watchers stood guard. "The girl may not be a spy now, but if we allowed her to leave she might become one."

"Why are we watching this, Master O?" Quatre inquired in a cautiously polite tone.

"J's little _breezes _seem to think Oz is just about to attack…" he sounded more irritated at having to have come all the way there than like he was actually mocking J's powers.

"Now? Will you allow us to go after Heero when they do?"

"Your friend knew what he was getting into when he left to find that snobbish dragon of his." He turned to leave, but stopped and pointed at the lake. "Let us know when they attack."

"Why did you ask _him_?" Duo asked Quatre when the wizard was gone. "You know he's the worst out of the five of them."

"I just saw an opportunity…" the blonde man shrugged, turning back to the image.

Even after such a short time, they already felt they knew their summoners as if they had known them their entire lives. J was the obvious leader, he smiled a lot more than he talked but when he did say something his word was final. G was active, if there was anything that could be done he always wanted to go through with it even if it meant watching the world burn. S was the friendliest and most understanding, he was always calm and patient when he spoke to them and the others. H was alright as long as he was happy, but he got angry very easily in which case he did not think twice about speaking his mind. Now, O… He rarely spoke, much like J, but when he did they could always expect the worst.

With a frustrated sigh, Duo took a seat beside Wufei staring at the boring scene of the guards patrolling the walls and the fields beyond. "I hate this curse. Is there really nothing we can do?"

"I was wondering the same thing earlier…" Quatre met his eyes sadly.

"What if we just kill all of them?"

"It is their magic that maintains us, Duo." It was Trowa who answered with a grimace. "If we killed them we would just turn back to stone until the next master came."

"But there _has _to be a way! We cannot spend the rest of our lives like this!" this time only silence answered him. "I should have known you would ignore me. You have already accepted this, admit it. You no longer have the will to fight, so you do not even dare say anything."

"Maxwell, shut up and watch." Wufei commanded annoyed. Maybe Duo was right, maybe they _had _given up fighting their cruel fate, but now was not the time to grieve their lost lives.

They could practically hear the guards as they shouted warnings and ran for their bows while others blew their horns to warn the rest of the town. Oz's army came marching out of the woods and into the fields straight to the gates of Sanc. Their speed was impressive despite the weight of their armours and weapons, just what should be expected of a people that devoted themselves to the art of war and battle. The gates were already closed but the walls were not that high and soon they would be inside the city. All four dragon riders could see it.

"Can you feel Heero?" Wufei turned to Quatre.

"No. We are too far. I will only detect him if he is in great pain. We have to go there and get him."

"Then go." J's voice reached them even before he had stepped out of the shadows followed by G and the girl Trowa had rescued. He placed his free hand on her shoulder. "Catherine will be our cook from now on so you need not worry." That last part he added for Trowa's sake and the young man nodded truly relieved.

"Master J." Quatre kneeled. "Thank you."

"There is no need for you to get involved in their battle though. Find Heero and come back."

"Yes, master."

They did not need to hear another word before they turned and ran towards their dragons. Trowa gave Catherine a small smile before they departed, she still looked pale, but no longer as scared, in fact, she did seem to be angry at him. He knew she was not happy about being 'kidnapped' by him, but he hoped she would get used to all the magic and the dragons. Now, it was all too new and shocking to her. _At least she is safe. _If only they could rescue Wing and Heero now, their team would be back to their full strength and they would be able to look into that problem that so disturbed them, but that only Duo seemed brave enough to acknowledge. For all their power the dragon riders were no more than puppets in these times of war.

* * *

¹My little homage to Sylvia Noventa. Her grandfather will be making an appearance later on, but she won't and she really reminds me of Relena, so...

**A.N.: **I know they might seem a little OOC in this, but remember they are 'disguised'... And they finally met! But not _really_. About the wizards' personalitites... I had to make up most of them because they hardly speak during the series. Hopefully they won't feel too OOC. And, one more thing: I will be adding a cover to this story, so if you actually find it by the cover image make sure to pay attention to the title when you look for chapter 7 next week. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

Relena felt funny as she walked back to the market. Maybe it was because she had lied to Heero, but she had had no other choice at the moment. He had looked lost though not in a physical way and somewhat in pain, she had noticed a tension about his posture and a discreet limp in his step… If Sally had still been around Relena might have suggested a visit to the physician, but she had left the night before and would have been half way to the colonies by that time. It was none of her business anyway whether the foreigner was in pain or not. He had not said a word about it and she respected his need of privacy, besides she did have to focus on finding the dragon rider before the guards did.

The house where he had fallen had not told her much, all it did was give her an idea of which way he had probably headed in his escape. He must have been wounded… No. He _had _to be wounded. There was no way a human could withstand a fall like that and leave unharmed, but then again… She knew close to nothing about him so how could she be so sure he was human? But if he were not human then what could he be? Could he have sprouted wings and flown away? No. If he could fly he would not even have fallen. Relena sighed, realising that she had been standing there, in the middle of the market, for some time.

It was when the horns sounded. People were soon looking up in alarm, searching the sky for dragons, others were already running towards the forest behind the castle and a third group was resuming their activities apprehensively. A guard soon appeared, running past her and into the heart of the crowd. "Oz is attacking!" he shouted. "We are under attack! Find shelter!"

The princess watched wide-eyed as people started shouting and running into all directions. Women picked up crying children crushing them against their bosoms, merchants raised their hands up in despair as pottery vases crashed and boxes of fruit were knocked over, its contents destroyed by the stampede. There were people running her way as well to try and gather as many of their belongings as they could in case their houses were sacked and burned. A particularly burly man almost knocked her down, she stumbled to the side and had to use the wall of a nearby house to steady herself.

She stuck to the safety of the walls as she pushed through the crowd towards the castle. Then she remembered Heero… Relena hesitated unsure why she was even thinking about him. It was not like she would be able to help him anyway. Maybe if he stayed hidden in the inn he would be safe… For some reason she doubted that would be possible. If Oz made it into the town all houses, shops and buildings would be broken into and those inside would either be killed or… She shuddered thinking of those women and children that were rushing by.

_I will be of no use here, but if I make it back to the castle I may be able to help. _Her mind made up, she resumed moving. The Alliance members would probably ignore anything she had to say, but she would try and she would fight. If necessary she would ride to the battle front and lead their forces herself. In the background, she could hear the clashing of swords and the screams of dying men mixed up with the desperate cries of the remaining civilians. The mob had dispersed enough for her to be able to pick up her pace. As she started running she heard an archer shout from the rooftops.

"They broke through the gates!"

Relena kept on running as she prayed for her people's safety. It was all she could do.

XXX

Heero was half way to the castle when the sounds of battle reached his ears. The horns had sounded not long before announcing the arrival of Oz, or so he assumed. It did not bother him at all, in fact it would make it easier for him to make it into the castle grounds unseen if the guards and knights were distracted by upcoming battle. He hid inside one of the half burnt houses as a group of knights rode down the street towards the city gates, their strong battle horses nervous on their hooves. Heero thought about his own horse that he had left at the public stables… If he could not find Wing, he would probably have to go back on foot. _Not a very attractive idea._

The gates to the patio were wide open, but groups of archers, swordsmen and knights were coming out at all times. He could hear a strong male voice shouting orders. An Alliance member most definitely since the princess had yet to be crowned. There was too much going on there for him to be able to slip in unnoticed, he would have to find another way. Following the tall walls that surrounded the castle he found a second gate, this one led into a garden that stretched all the way into the heart of the castle where it became a sort of courtyard, the castle's stone walls forming an 'U' around it. The gate was unguarded much as the gardens themselves.

He tried to squeeze through the metal bars, but even though he was lean he was not lean enough. Digging underneath it would mean losing more time than he had for, if he had understood the shouts he had heard before correctly, Oz had already made it past the main gates and into the city. They were born and raised to fight and if Sanc Kingdom's royal troops had any chance it rested solely on their numbers. Heero frowned at the gate. Should he try climbing or look for yet another way in?

A roar sounded at that very moment. Wing had caught his scent. That meant he was near. His mind made up, he took distance and ran, jumping as high as he could. He missed the horizontal bar by a few inches. At that moment, he honestly wished he was Trowa or just a tad bit taller. This time, before jumping, he took impulse on one of the lower horizontal bars safely reaching the highest one. Then he carefully passed between the sharp lance like tips at the top and dropped at the other side just as two guards turned the corner on their way from the patio.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" one of them shouted, pointing his lance in Heero's direction.

A good 50 metres¹ separated them and the guards were advancing cautiously which gave him all the time he needed to scan his surroundings. The gate had limited his vision from the outside so he had not been able to see the building that now stood to his left… The royal stables. Immediately, he knew that was where Wing was being kept. Those guards had come to check on him after hearing the roaring. Heero looked down at his right hand wrapped around the hilt of his long sword. The glowing blade was meant for the princess' not just anyone… If he wasted the wizards' magic on one of those guards he would be in more trouble than he already was. His bow was on his back, under his cloak, if he tried to arm it he would be dead before he was done.

Betting on agility rather than fighting skills, he ran towards the stables at the top of his speed. With their heavy armours, the taller, clumsier guards would never catch up to him. They followed anyway when they noticed he was not trying to escape, but to get inside the stables. The doors were barred and closed with chains, but Heero's sword cut through it all as if through thin air. He could sense the guards' hesitation as they approached and could not help but smirk as he pushed the door open.

Wing blinked at the sudden light, screeching as it hit his pupils. Heero started severing the ropes and chains that bound him with incredible speed. The dragon watched him, wondering if all that was for the two already retreating guards' sakes. He emitted a snort like sound, making Heero stop and turn to the door. The guards had turned tail as soon as they had realised the intruder's intentions and, even though Heero did not like to kill fleeing men, he knew if they called for backup he might get in trouble. He pushed away his cloak, pulling out the bow and tightening the string without a thought. They were almost at the point where they had spotted him when the first man fell. The second looked around shocked, but the arrow hit him before he could scream.

Heero turned to the dragon then, watching as he stretched his wings and shook away the pieces of rope and chain that still clung to his back. The cut under the green eye had already healed as had all other wounds if there had ever been any. He mounted, rubbing the creature's neck in a calming manner. As they stepped out and took off, he realised they were extremely close to the castle's towers and many of the balconies were big enough for Wing to land on. One of them had the doors to the room inside completely open, he could see the curtains floating with the wind. That might be his only chance to make it into the castle, kill the princess and leave unseen.

Wing seemed to read his mind as he slowly descended towards the balcony in smooth circles. His landing was so light it did not make a sound. Heero could see a bed as he dismounted and someone was obviously lying in it. He stepped cautiously around, trying to get a glimpse of the bed's occupant through the waving curtains. It was when he noticed a second person. Sitting on the bed by the convalescing figure was none other than Princess Relena herself, except… He had seen that hair before, but it had been covered by a hood, not bearing a crown.

"I do not know if you can hear me, mother, but I am sorry." She was speaking now. Her voice confirming her identity. "I need to go. I need to do something or the Alliance will lead our kingdom to ruin… I know you would not approve, but I must do this."

As she stood up, Heero noticed she had been holding the woman's hand. She let go rather reluctantly, a pained expression on her face. It was when she turned to leave that she saw him. Her eyes widened slightly as she moved away from the bed to stand in the middle of the room. He stepped through the curtains, unsheathing his sword, his expression completely blank.

"Heero." She whispered his name again, like she had done a mere couple of hours before, and he froze. "I am glad you have found each other." Her eyes met Wing's through the curtains and she smiled sadly. "Please, spare my mother."

Without knowing why, he nodded. He took the sword in both hands, holding it ready in front of him, its blade glimmering. As he stepped forward, he saw the princess close her eyes and then he plunged the sword through her.

* * *

¹Around 164 feet, I should think.

**A.N.: **I know my chapters are a little short, guys. I've been working on that ever since I started writting and I know it still needs some improvement, hopefullly the regular updates will make up for that. I'll keep trying though. Promise! Now, I just want to thank you all for the support. I wished I had the time to answer every and each one of your reviews... I hope you'll continue to enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writting it!


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

Relena opened her eyes to find Heero looking up at her wide-eyed. His sword had grazed her waist, but aside from a torn corset she was unmarred… She knew his confusion was reflected in her own face. He pulled back, frowning and positioned his sword so that the tip of the blade touched her abdomen right above her navel. This time she did not close her eyes, she wanted to see him. Heero held the hilt with both hands and she could hear it as his grip tightened, but it was like an invisible wall stood between them for as hard as he tried he just seemed unable to do it. His face contorted in a mix of anger and frustration before he pulled away.

"Heero!" they heard a shout and the curtains waved violently as the red dragon approached the balcony, its rider having spotted Heero's grey dragon.

The princess met his eyes one last time and realised that he could not kill her. He too seemed to have reached that conclusion for he sheathed his sword and, in the blink of an eye, was gone. It took Relena some time to regain control of her body, but when she finally did she ran out into the balcony. Five black dots in the faraway sky were all she could see. She raised a hand to her heart which was still racing. "Why did you not kill me, Heero?"

She wondered if it had been their meeting earlier that day… The things she had said to him that had stopped his hand. No, she had seen goodness in him. Kindness. Something one would never expect to see in the eyes of someone who lived to kill. Still, he had killed so many already… Why stop now? There had to be a better explanation, but to reach it she would have to research more about dragon riders. If only she had been as interested in the old legends as her brother, Milliardo, had been…

"Princess Relena?" she turned around, watching as an Alliance commander walked into her mother's chambers. He spotted her after a brief moment. "Is Your Highness alright? We saw the dragon riders leaving the castle…"

"I am fine." She answered. They almost had to shout so they could hear each other from that distance, but – for some reason – she did not want to walk back into the bedroom. Something made her wary of that man and she realised she did not have a single weapon on her person… Not even the dagger she usually carried. She must have left it in her own chambers when she had gone there to retrieve her crown and abandon her cloak.

"Oz has made unbelievable progress into the city and we fear they might invade the castle at any moment." He walked towards her as he spoke, and Relena could feel the hard stone railing against her lower back. She looked over her shoulder at the merciless ground below, if she fell it would all be over. "Your Highness may be in grave danger even as we speak… Please, allow me to lead my princess out of the castle and into the forest."

"That will not be necessary. I can take good care of myself, thank you." She was impressed at how collected she managed to sound. The man was only a couple steps away from her now. "Return to your post immediately or help the people escape. I can assure you I will be absolutely alright."

"Then let me at least escort Your Highness to a safer place." He reached for her arm then, insisting but Relena spun away from him. She saw his mask slip as he revealed all the anger and contempt behind it. Before she could realise what was happening he had blocked her way back into the bedroom. "Your family has reigned for far too long." He said. "Now it is our turn."

She bit her lip. _What now? _There was no other way out… She would have to make it past him. If only her mother could miraculously wake up from her nervous fever and save Relena… "You really think you could rule better than my father? And my grandfather before him? You must be blind." She was trying to buy herself more time and coax him into attacking. If he lost control, she might find an opening.

"You, Peacecrafts, are all hypocrites." He hissed venomously at her. "Rumour has it yousummoned those damned dragon riders yourself so you could blame the destruction of the kingdom on our administration and make the people beg for your coronation."

"What?" she shook her head in disbelief. "Who started those rumours?"

The man smiled. "Are they really just rumours? You did stop our men from killing that winged monster, _princess_." He sounded both disgusted and triumphant. Relena could only shake her head. Was that what her people believed as well or were those rumours restricted to the Alliance? "Nothing to say? I thought so."

He advanced then, pushing her against the railing with enough force to knock the wind out of her. Still, she tried to duck under his arm and run, only to be caught by the throat. His laughter both frightened and enraged her. She held his wrists with her hands, digging her nails into the skin as she tried to kick him away. When her foot connected with his thigh though his grip only tightened and he pushed her backwards, her body bending over the railing as she tried to breathe. For a second, she closed her eyes, wishing Heero had killed her instead of this man, and then it was over. The man fell on her feet as a sword was pulled out of his body.

Behind him stood a black haired woman Relena had never seen before. Her dark eyes irradiated confidence and she smiled, bowing to the princess with her free hand on her heart. "Princess Relena… Lucrezia Noin." She introduced herself.

"Lucrezia Noin?" the princess repeated still trying to catch her breath, but the name was not familiar. "I wish to thank you, Lady Lucrezia, for saving my life and…"

The short haired woman shook her head, her hand raised. "Do not bother, Your Highness. I am afraid you will have to come with me."

Relena looked down at the bloody sword that was now pointed at her chest and met the other woman's eyes confused. "Come with you… Where?"

"To Romefeller Kingdom, of course." The answer was followed by a smile.

XXX

_Why couldn't I kill her? _ Heero kept asking himself that question over and over again, but that was not the only question running through his mind merely the most relevant one. First, he had hesitated. He _never _hesitated, yet he had even allowed her to say a few final words and then he had nodded at her request. It is true he would not have killed her mother anyway, to kill a sick defenceless woman in her bed would have been extremely low, but for him to actually agree to the princess' request… _I must be losing my mind_… Yes, that seemed like a plausible explanation. Considering the fact that he had missed the target… He had been only a few steps away from her. She had not made any attempt to escape, had not moved an inch and yet he had missed. It was like his body had suddenly grown a mind of its own.

Then there was Wing… The dragon had shown him flashes of a possible future, on their way back to the ruins, but Heero had not been able to grasp the meaning behind the images. Apparently, Princess Relena would have a role to play in their lives in the near future, but whether that role would be relevant or not remained to be seen. He felt confused, like being left in the dark, and that annoyed him beyond belief. Maybe Wing was just telling him in his own way that Heero had done the right thing not killing the princess… As if he had had a choice.

Duo tensed beside him then, and he realised that none of it might make a difference in the end since they were now standing in front of the wizards again, waiting for their respective punishments. His for not killing Relena and Duo's for bringing yet another woman back with them. The other three riders stood a couple steps behind them offering their silent support and fuming angrily in Wufei's case. It did not make any difference that this second young woman was a former member of Oz and one that was willing to share their plans with their enemy… Or so she claimed. Heero had not caught her entire speech – his own thoughts far too distracting at the moment – but, from the bits and pieces he had heard, it seemed Duo had rescued her when Oz had been willing to sacrifice her and now she wanted to make up to him.

The wizards looked unsure of what to do with her, but with other – more pressing – matters to attend to they decided to send her away with Catherine. Hilde – for that was her name – was now as much Duo's responsibility as Catherine was Trowa's. Heero wondered if their masters realised they were only washing their hands of the problem. Once both women were gone, all eyes turned to him. Or at least that was what it felt like.

"You know why you are standing here, Heero." Wizard J started. "We were watching you…"

"Have you already informed your comrades?" H asked with a touch of irritation. "Then tell them."

Heero kept his head high and his expression blank as he spoke. He did not turn to the others, choosing to address a spot above the wizards' heads instead. "I had a chance of killing Princess Relena and I did not do it."

"You what?!" Duo and Wufei exclaimed together though one sounded shocked and the other incredulous. Quatre and Trowa said nothing, but their faces were a mix of surprise and apprehension.

"First, I met her at the street though I could not have known who she was. She told me her name was Sylvia. Then, I met her again at the castle, in her mother's chambers." He turned to Trowa for a moment. "That was where I was when you found me. I was alone with her and she offered no resistance…"

"And _yet _you did not kill her." It was wizard G who finished for him. The one who got easily irritated was H, but Heero seemed to have accomplished something unheard of and enraged all of them simultaneously.

Wufei was shaking his head now as if torn between laughing and snapping, he still could not believe what was happening. Duo seemed about to say something, but even he was too shocked for words. It was Quatre who broke the silence. "Why?" was all he asked, his tone not condemning as would have been expected, but soft and almost fearful.

Heero shook his head. "I couldn't do it."

"Could she have spellbound him?" G turned to J with a troubled frown.

"She cannot use her powers on him! He is a dragon rider!" H cut in, waving his arms in exasperation.

"They answer to our powers alone…" wizard S agreed with a nod.

"Or at least that is how it should be." J agreed, staring thoughtfully at the young men standing in front of them. "Did you sense the princess' magic while you were around her?"

He remembered his pain disappearing when she had smiled at him, but that sounded ridiculous even in his head. "No. I felt nothing."

"The princess does not even know she had powers." Wizard O finally decided to share his opinion. "He did not kill her because he is a traitor and thus he should be judged."

There was silence then, but it was loaded with unspoken words. The wizards were angry yet apprehensive. Punishing Heero might bring the others' wrath upon them, then they would have to dismiss all five dragon riders despite the fact that they obviously still needed them. Not punishing him, on the other hand, might make them look weak and prone to a rebellion. A whispered argument broke out at the cherry wood table.

"How is she?" Duo whispered to Heero, twisting his lips sideways and hiding them from their masters with his hand. "The princess. How does she look?"

"Normal."

"Normal? Normal how?"

"Normal, Maxwell. Two eyes, one nose, dark blonde hair…"

"Whoa! Dark blonde hair? That's more like it."

"What difference does it make? She should have been dead by now, but she isn't."

"Nope. Thanks to you." Duo actually smiled as he said that. Heero merely raised an eyebrow at him, turning back to the table to wait for the verdict. Why did it matter what Relena looked like? It was not like he would be seeing her again anyways. "I thought I should know. You know… So I don't forget to kill her in case I run into her. You think they'll give us some sort of medal?"

Heero snorted. "You would never kill her."

"Try me."

"There is something about her…" he started, but caught his tongue before he could make a fool of himself. Why was he even thinking about her now? "Never mind."

"What? What is it? Did she really use her powers on you?"

"Duo Maxwell." J's masterful voice cut their conversation short. "Step back and be quiet."

"Yes, master J." he pouted like a rebuked child and joined the rest of his comrades in the back row.

"Heero, we have voted and the results are thus… Three in favour, two against. You are now dismissed."

Even Wufei looked horrified. Duo was gapping and Quatre shared a worried look with Trowa who shook his head solemnly. There was nothing they could do. If they rebelled against their masters they would just end up being dismissed as well, and Heero would not want that. They turned to the doors as Wing walked in. The grey dragon did not look at all disturbed. He crossed the room slowly until he stood beside his human partner, his green eyes as masterful as ever. Heero was waiting for the pain, the longing that made them return to their cave and the shadows where their minds would drift while they awaited for a new master, but the pain never came.

He looked up at Wing and turned back to the wizards with a troubled frown. That unexpected turn of events did not please him as it probably should. The world had rules and rules meant order, without order there was only chaos. J seemed to understand what was happening, his eyes widened for a moment before he turned away to whisper something to the other wizards.

"What is going on?" Wufei asked quietly with a frown of him own.

"It did not work." Quatre said relieved, finally realising what had happened himself.

"What? But they just dismissed him!" Duo turned to him and his voice sounded both scared and excited. "Does that mean… Is the curse broken?"

"We cannot know." Trowa told them seriously. "The only way to find out would be to kill J or Heero or Wing and see what happened…"

"Kill him then." Wizard O, who had apparently been listening in on their conversation, spoke up.

"It must be something the princess did…" G sounded uncertain.

_Relena? _Heero met Wing's eyes, remembering the visions he had had. Was this what they meant? Could the princess break their curse? But she had not done anything, she had not even touched him. No, it had to be something else… _But the rules…_

"Enough about _her_!" H snapped. "What do we do with _him _now?"

Wizard J stood up and pointed his staff at the young man. Wing growled angrily, baring his teeth at the old man as he stepped in front of Heero. The gust that escaped the wooden staff did not even tickle the grey dragon, and J smiled mysteriously before regaining his seat. "If they still have a master, it is no longer I."

"Hush." Heero told the dragon, stepping up to the wizard. "What are your orders?"

"Leave." His now former master told him. "If you or that dragon show your faces around here again we will kill you."

He did not bow nor kneel, this time he merely nodded and walked out followed closely by Wing. The others nodded at him and he could see the light of hope returning to their eyes. Whatever had just happened… They wished they were next.

* * *

**A.N.: **I was going to end this when they dismissed Heero because I'm sort of evil and I do have fun watching you hanging off the cliff sometimes, but I decided to be nice. Hahaha Be grateful. Thank you all for the support!


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_

Regent Noventa was not happy with the current situation. He was one of the oldest members of the Alliance, but he had supported Princess Relena's right to reign. The Alliance had enough influence already through the Royal Council and he did not see why they needed one of them to sit in the throne and wear the crown as well, especially not himself. He figured his nomination should not be seen as an honour but as a sort of trap. They might as well have painted a target in the middle of his forehead. If he – an open pacifist and supporter of the Peacecrafts' government – was killed, the Alliance would only grow stronger. What they could not see was that as long as he was alive he had the chance to make a difference, maybe even change the course of history.

"Pagan." He greeted the other man as he stood on one of the balconies overlooking the kingdom or what was left of it. To everyone's surprise, Oz had retreated as soon as they got their hands on the princess, but that did not mean they had not had the time to make some damage. That, coupled with what the dragon riders had already done, had left the people of Sanc with very little to return to.

"Have you come to arrest me, my lord?" the old counsellor asked calmly.

Noventa smiled sadly. "No need for those titles, my friend. We both know I am not the rightful heir to the throne." He waited for a response, but Pagan would not even move. "I did not wish to restrain you, Pagan, but it is expected of me to do something about 'traitors'."

"I know, I know… I will not offer any sort of resistance. May I just watch the sunset from this balcony one last time?"

"It is tomorrow, is it not? Princess Relena's twenty-first birthday."

"Yes…" Pagan smiled sadly. He hoped from the bottom of his heart that his pupil was alright. Relena had always been an intelligent and spirited girl, and Pagan had been extremely honoured to be appointed as her private tutor by King Marticus himself after Darlian – her previous tutor – had passed away. Now, she was a strong young woman carrying the weight of an entire nation on her shoulders as well as her late father's ideals of total pacifism. Silently, he prayed for her success. "My princess would have been crowned queen the day after tomorrow, if Oz had not taken her away."

"I am sorry." Noventa told him sincerely. Though he had only spoken to the young princess a couple of times, he knew how inspiring she could be, beautiful and full of life, a ray of hope in the darkness.

"What will become of Her Majesty?" Pagan asked as an afterthought.

"I will make sure no harm befalls Queen Peacecraft. She will remain in her chambers with her personal maids."

"Thank you, my lord."

He nodded, then turned to the archway where two guards stood like statues still in the battle armours they had worn against Oz and with long spears in their hands. "Guards, escort Pagan to the dungeons and make sure he is comfortable."

The old counsellor allowed the guards to lead him away. A sad look in his eyes. In the horizon, the final sun rays were swallowed by the earth as the kingdom fell into darkness.

XXX

They arrived at the Romefeller Kingdom just as the sun surged in the horizon, announcing the beginning of a new day. Relena's birthday. From the back of her own horse, she watched the citizens come out to greet and cheer their soldiers and knights as she rode besides Lucrezia Noin. The town itself was much smaller than Sanc, its narrow streets leading eternally up to the dark grey castle that housed King Dermail, his family and his servants as well as his closest friends and members of the court. In that aspect, they were not that much different from her own kingdom and people, and Relena wondered why they had to fight at all. The restrictions to Romefeller's negotiations with the colonies had been lifted years before her father was crowned king…

As they neared the entrance to the castle, the wooden bridge was lowered making a safe pathway over the moat. They rode into the patio and that was where they dismounted, surrounded on all sides by the moist stone walls. In front of the main door stood a young woman in a dark brown dress that clung enticingly to her upper body's curves, her blonde hair waving behind her in motion with the breeze. Lucrezia entrusted their horses to the stable boys and led Relena up the blood red carpet towards the strange blonde woman who seemed unable to stop smirking at them.

"Princess Relena." She made a very long curtsy. "It is an honour to meet you and an even greater honour to receive you. I am Dorothy Catalonia, King Dermail's granddaughter." All she received was a nod. Relena was not pleased and she was not about to start acting like it. That did not appear to affect Dorothy though, for her smirk only grew as she motioned the other two women inside. "I will take you to my grandfather immediately."

Whereas Sanc Kingdom's castle was light and spacious, this castle was dark and crowded with all sorts of works of art from statues and hand painted pictures to gold ornamented tapestries and red coloured carpets. The Peacecrafts had not been a powerful family for half as long as the Romefellers and their humble origins still had an influence on their surroundings. Relena knew no members of the original Romefeller family had survived the war 200 years before, but their castle had obviously been kept much as they had left it. It was a monument to their power, both economic and cultural, and the foreign princess could not help but notice that most of the pieces of art had something to do with battle and war.

The door Dorothy opened was made of red wood decorated with gold carvings. She did not walk in, but turned to Relena with that perpetual smirk. "You may walk in. Grandfather's already expecting you. Good luck, Princess Relena."

With no time to wonder whether the blonde woman was mocking her or not, Relena walked in followed closely by Lucrezia Noin who had not left her side since they had met in her mother's chambers back in Sanc. The constant surveillance annoyed the princess, but for some reason she did feel safe under the black haired woman's watch. She walked confidently into King Dermail's study and found the man himself standing behind his desk. He crossed his arms behind his back as soon as the door had closed behind them. His eyes were hard and cold, but he did not strike Relena as a particularly dangerous man. At least not in the same way that Heero had.

_Heero… _Thinking of him renewed her confidence and determination. She had to make it through whatever they had in stake for her so she could see him again. She needed to know why he had not killed her, she needed to know who he was and where he came from. It felt stupid that those questions should come before the seemingly more important ones like 'who do you work for' and 'why did you try to kill me', but Relena did not care. It was the man she was interested in not the dragon rider.

"Princess Relena." Dermail greeted her much like his granddaughter had done minutes before. "Welcome to Romefeller Kingdom."

"Why am I here?" she went straight to the point. They had brought her against her will, kidnapped her, and now they were acting as if she had been paying them a visit of her own volition. Relena was not in the mood to play pretence.

"Fierce, huh?" his smile was strained. "Very well… If you are honest with me, princess, I will be honest with you. For the last 2 hundred years, while your kingdom basked in peace, our kingdom had been building its strength. Every single one of our men has been meticulously trained in the art of war and now, under the command of Treize Kushrenada, they cannot be stopped."

Relena had never seen Treize, but she had heard of him and she knew his was a name to be feared in times of war. "Are you threatening my kingdom?"

"Is it still your kingdom? What do you think has happened now that you are no longer there?"

She took a step back as the blood suddenly seemed to grow cold in her veins. It was all the Alliance had wanted and they had not even needed to dirty their own hands to get it. Dermail was right. The Sanc Kingdom was now in their hands. "Why am I here?" she repeated her question from earlier, but now there was a different undertone to it. Where once there was outrage, now there was only confusion.

Dermail seemed to bask in her sudden helplessness. "You want your kingdom back, do you not? You will need Oz for that."

"I have nothing to offer you in return."

"Oh, but you do. You see, Princess Relena, for some reason your people love and support you. They will not be happy with this sudden shift of power and a wise ruler knows the support of his people is the greatest of all weapons. When driven by love and faith even the most pathetic of peasants can become a worthy fighter."

"I do not understand…" she shook her head, frowning. "How is my regaining the throne and leading my people to war going to favour _you_?"

"It will not. Not until you have married my grandson."

"Your grandson?"

"Treize Kushrenada*."

She stared at him wide-eyed and gaping. He wanted her hand in marriage so he could give it to some man Relena had never even seen, but with her hand came something else altogether… The title of royal consort and the first place in the line of succession. Then all they would need to do was kill her – make it look like an accident – and Sanc Kingdom would fall right into their hands. Treize would play the heartbroken husband and ensure the eternal love of her people.

"Can you not see?" Dermail continued. "Our two kingdoms together would be undefeatable!"

"What happens if I decline?" she asked sounding as neutral as she could, given the circumstances.

"Are you asking if we are going to kill you?" his smirk suddenly turned into a smile, but it was dripping with malice. "No, princess. I am sure we could find better uses for you."

Relena knew what he meant, she was no prude nor was she stupid. If she agreed to his proposal, she would be able to buy herself some time since they would not be able to kill her before she got married to Treize. She recomposed herself and stepped forward with determination. "I accept. I will marry your grandson in exchange for protection for my kingdom and my place back in the throne."

"About that, princess… We will crown you right here in Romefeller, tomorrow. Word has already been sent to Sanc and the colonies negating the Alliance's right to the throne. They _are _traitors after all… But those are tomorrow's plans. For now I recommend you rest and enjoy what is left of your birthday. My granddaughter will escort you to your chambers."

As if on cue, the door opened and Dorothy appeared. She greeted her grandfather with a curtsy before turning to Relena. "Follow me, Your Highness. Lucrezia, I believe you are free to go now. The princess will no longer be needing you."

Relena watched as the black haired woman bowed and made a brief curtsy herself before accompanying Dorothy out of the room. She could not believe what was happening… The next day she would be crowned queen and then they would probably want to have her married as soon as possible. If only she could make it back to Sanc she might be able to get help…or maybe not, after all – with the Alliance now in charge of things – she feared most of her allies and supporters would be dead or gone. She thought about Pagan and her mother… If only she could escape, but there was no one who would help her. Lucrezia had seemed more reasonable then the rest of them, but Dorothy had made it very clear her services were no longer needed so Relena had no hope on that end.

"I admire your strength, Princess Relena." The blonde young woman said suddenly her tone of voice always making one wonder what she really meant by her words. "To hold on to your family's ideals during times like these… Total pacifism, is it not? It is what the Peacecrafts have been preaching for the last 200 years. Yet all you got out of it was a weakened defence. Do you not see the beauty in battle and war? The fierceness of every blow, your entire life reflected in your enemy's eyes and the smell of blood and sweat and fire as in your nostrils as you charge through the fallen bodies of both enemies and allies? When we fight we have enemies, but there is union in death."

"No, Dorothy." Relena said calmly, adopting a polite and cautious tone. "I am afraid I do not see the beauty in any of that. All I see is misery and destruction. It does not please me to see my people give their lives away in my name."

"Oh, but it is so touching, Princess Relena. This is the greatest love of all…"

She was actually relieved when they arrived at her chambers and the blonde woman left her to her own thoughts. Their families' views could not be more different. _And I am marrying one of them now… _She sighed, making sure the door was locked before she walked past the fancy bed to the window. Outside she saw not the city, but the interminable forest underneath the mountain where Romefeller Kingdom had been built and the green of the leaves underneath the sunlight reminded her of Heero's dragon's eyes. She had to see them again… They would be able to help her. _Yes, but why would they?_

"I am waiting for you, Heero." She whispered leaning her forehead against the cool glass of the window. "You still have not killed me."

* * *

*I don't know if you, guys, read _Frozen Teardrop_... I think that's where the information comes from, but Treize was Dermail's son's step-son which would make him Dermail's step-grandson if that even exists… My dictionary doesn't sport it. If that isn't true just pretend I made it up. I, particularly, did not like their ideas for a continuation to GW anyways... I would have rather seen all our beloved characters fighting as adults, but at least they provided us with more background info. Tsk, tsk...

**A.N.: **If you get lost along the way feel free to say so and ask me questions. I will be pleased to answer them. I know I get carried away at times and might not explain things clearly enough for everyone. Thanks for reading and for all your support!


	10. Chapter 10

_Before we begin, I'm going to explain a little more about the whole political scenario involved in the story because _Kat-Tastrophe_ (thank you for your honesty by the way :D) made me realise I might not have given you enough detail about it. So... 200 years before _Dragon Riders_ there was Romefeller Kingdom ruled by the original Romefellers, the United Colonies ruled by the five wizard kings and The Alliance which was a smaller less powerful group living in a nearby town/settlement. That was the situation when the first generation of Peacecrafts arrived (Relena's would be the 9th or 10th) and, despite preaching pacifism, they were actually a very strong force (at that time also hypocrites). _

_The Alliance surrendered and joined them against their wishes because they knew they could not win against that enemy. The Peacecrafts then took over the colonies, so the colonies are also part of the current Sanc Kingdom. Only Romefeller remained in the fight, so to try and weaken them the Peacecraft king at the time forbid the commerce between them and the colonies leaving their enemies pretty much without food (since the colonies represent the rural areas where peasants live and food is produced). Even so Romefeller did not give up and a grudge surged between them and the fast growing Sanc Kingdom. With time though, the Peacecrafts forgave their neighbours and the restrictions were lifted, but the same did not happen with Romefeller... Their desire to ruin the Peacecrafts lived on even when the last Romefellers died and Dermail's family took over, so revenge is the actual reason why they attacked Sanc and are now playing with Relena's life... trying to rid her and her family of all they have. _

_The Alliance's motivation is very similar. They pretended to support the Peacecrafts and allowed them to turn their small town into the capital of their new kingdom, but that did not please them so they were always looking for ways to take over the power. The Alliance was never as strong as Romefeller though and not all of their members support these ideas, Noventa is one of them. He knows Relena is good and means well so he supports her right to rule though he is still part of the Alliance which means he's pretty much juggling knives. Those who support the Peacecrafts and are not part of the Alliance are a threat to them now that Relena's gone and they're finally in charge, that's why they were arrested - Pagan included. As for the wizards, they simply want to regain their place as kings and rule over the colonies. Zechs' wants to detroy everything. Period. His motivations will be better explained in later chapters... Wow! Was that long! Hope it helped clarify some things here or there. If you still have doubts or questions feel free to ask them!_

_**Chapter 10 **_

Wufei could not understand what it was about his comrades and those women… He would have expected something like that from Quatre – the blonde had always been weak, killing his enemies with poisoned darts to spare them pain – and maybe from Duo, but even the braided rider had outdone himself this time… To rescue someone was one thing, but to rescue and enemy _and _bring her back to headquarters just seemed outright stupid. He watched them sitting side-by-side near the fire pit by the lake. It was far too beautiful a night for them to linger inside the cold abandoned castle or so Quatre had convinced them. Wufei did not care about fires and star gazing, but he had joined them anyways.

What had happened to Heero worried him. In fact, it worried them all, but the others managed to hide it better than he did. Duo was still taking care of his 'hostage's' cuts and bruises, talking non-stop and making the girl giggle as he went. Catherine had made Trowa hang a heavy iron cauldron above the fire and was now stirring what smelled significantly like fowl stew. From time to time she would meet Trowa's gaze and scowl, she was still angry at him for 'kidnapping' her, though she had openly fussed over him when he had returned from their short excursion to Sanc. In Wufei's opinion that only showed how irrational women really were. What bothered him most though was the fact that Heero – who he had admired and respected up until now – had allowed himself to be controlled by a woman and their target nonetheless.

Wing's rider was no longer around – having been exiled by their masters – but they all knew he was not far. The others, especially Quatre, were worried about what would become of him now that he was 'purposeless', but Wufei had a feeling he knew exactly what Heero was going to do and that was to go after that woman. He only hoped Heero went after her with the intention of completing their mission and killing her.

"Maxwell." He called Duo by his family name as was his custom. He could see through the flames as the rider sitting across from him stopped talking to their 'prisoner' and turned to him. "I think it's time that woman gave us the information she promised."

"Her name's Hilde, Chang." Duo told him in a less friendly tone than usual. "And she will share _what _she'd like _when _she'd like." He paused for a moment then scratched his head. "That did not sound right…"

"It's okay, Duo." The young woman smiled, laying a hand on the arm he had raised. "I think he is right. If we wait much longer…who knows what Romefeller might do?"

"Let me call Quatre." Trowa stood up, walking back into the castle. If Hilde was going to share important information then they might as well be all present. He would even have called Heero if it were not too risky. He knew Quatre was worried about him since the blonde had been keeping tabs on him with his own abilities.

They returned a couple of minutes later and joined the others around the fire. Catherine thrust two bowls of steaming hot stew into their empty hands, giving them a 'you-better-like-it' look. She had already cooked for the wizards earlier and that, coupled with the stress she had accumulated from the last few chaotic days, had left her in a very bad mood and though she had grown to trust the riders she was still in constant fear of their masters. The fact that at any moment they might change their minds and have her killed was not far from her mind. Filling a final bowl for herself, she settled next to Hilde to listen in on the conversation. No one seemed to mind her presence, not even Wufei.

"I am sure you all know about Romefeller's 2 centuries old feud with the Peacecrafts…" the black haired young woman started, earning nods from everyone. "Well, they have recently named a new commander, Treize Kushrenada, and trust me when I say he could convince those men to move mountains for him. He is _that _influential. But that's not all, Treize is actually a very good swordsman and strategist as well. It was his arrival that gave Romefeller the confidence to send Oz to attack the Sanc Kingdom. Rumour has it he is King Dermail's bastard son, but I doubt it. No one really knows anything solid about him…."

"You mentioned the old feud between the two kingdoms…" Quatre cut in before she could continue. "You mean to say they attacked Sanc just for the pleasure of doing it? Because they did retreat when they could have easily taken over the capital…"

"No." Hilde shook her head. "It was Princess Relena they wanted. The attack was more of a distraction and a way of showing off their superior battle skills, sowing fear in the hearts of the people."

"The princess? But what are they going to do with her?" Duo frowned.

"I am not entirely sure. All I know is that they intend to use her to take control over, not only the capital, but the colonies as well."

"Cowards and hypocrites." Wufei snorted. "They claim to worship battle and war, but resort to dirty means to obtain power."

"That may be so…" Hilde agreed with him. "But they have always taught us that even though we have great power we should still pick our battles carefully."

"You cannot see the world only in black and white, Wufei. Most everything comes in shades of grey." It was Trowa who spoke.

Wufei turned to him with an angry frown. "Keep thinking that way and you will end up like Yuy. If he had not seen whatever he saw in that woman that stopped his hand then we would not be in this mess."

"No." Quatre agreed. "We would be fighting against Oz to gain control over Sanc for our newly empowered – with the princess' magic – masters. Tell me how that is any better?"

At that he only shrugged and looked away at the fire. Amidst the sudden silence they could hear the breaths of the dragons that were resting nearby. The sound was oddly comforting, so it took sometime before someone gathered the courage to break it. Not unexpectedly, it was Duo.

"But how does any of that concern us? Isn't killing the princess with the enchanted weapons our only mission?"

"I guess for now we don't really _have _a mission." Quatre was watching the flames. "If what Hilde says is true and Oz retreated because they got the princess then our target is now in the Romefeller Kingdom… To attack Sanc – a pacifist kingdom – is one thing, but to face off against Oz…"

"We did bad enough attacking Sanc as it was." Wufei grumbled, but the others had to agree. It seemed their strength was dwindling over the centuries and they were no longer what they used to be.

"But then what should we do?"

"Await for new orders." Trowa shrugged.

Duo half sighed half growled. At that point he was similar to wizard G, if there was something, anything that could be done he wanted to do it. Sitting back and watching with arms crossed was just not his thing. Suddenly, he remembered something. "What about Heero?" he turned to Quatre. "Can you still feel him?"

The blonde rider closed his eyes for a moment in deep concentration. "I can still feel him. He is…" Quatre opened his eyes abruptly. "He's here!"

Before they could create a commotion as they searched for him, Heero stepped out of the shadows. Wing was not with him and he was not carrying sword or bow, unconcerned by the wizards' threats. He could not be killed even if he wanted to and pain was not something he feared. In their surprise, the others did not invite him to sit, but he did not mind. He had no intention to stay. Arms crossed, he stood over them like a statue.

"Heero! Are you really free?" Duo stood up in his excitement. Whatever Heero had done, however he had accomplished this they had to figure it out.

"I'm not free." He saw the light die in all the other riders' expecting gazes, not only Duo's. "That is why I'm here… I can feel my new master calling."

"Are you sure it is not the calling to turn back into stone?" Quatre asked worriedly.

"There's no pain."

"There will be if you do not heed your master's call soon." Wufei warned him, still angry and disappointed. "I would bet my sword that that woman has something to do with this."

"The princess?" Duo turned to him surprised. The others seemed to be feeling the same way, except for Heero whose expression was blank. "You believe that too?"

"Yes." He nodded seriously. "That is why I'm going after her. Wing thinks she might be able to break the curse."

"Break the curse?" Duo breathed out hopeful. His eyes met the others' and they all seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Go, Heero." Quatre nodded with conviction. "We will wait for new orders and stall for more time. We cannot kill the princess now, at least not until we have figured this out…" he shook his head and sighed. "I hope by then we won't have to anymore."

"We won't, Quatre." Duo spoke up again confidently. "Something major's happened. Heero changed masters! That must be a sign."

"Maybe… If you cannot discover how to free us maybe you can discover how you changed masters." Trowa proposed. "If we changed masters our current orders would be invalidated."

"He's right." Wufei agreed. "But whatever you do, you have to do it fast."

"I know." Heero nodded seriously and turned to leave.

He knew Relena was behind this, but he was not sure what her exact part in all this was… He needed to see her so he could dig into that, but he also wanted to see her for reasons he could not yet place. _Maybe I will sort that out as well. _Wing waited for him between the trees at the most remote part of the forest and the dragon seemed to know exactly where to take him. Beneath the moon and stars they made their silent way to Romefeller.

XXX

The sun had barely appeared in the horizon when the first horns sounded. Sanc Kingdom was being attacked again and this time by an unknown enemy. Most people had not dared return home after the previous attack, preferring to remain hidden in the forest. Those who had returned were now running desperately out into the streets and towards the castle for the third time in four days. The gates the Oz soldiers had destroyed had not yet been replaced so the enemy ran straight in, but it was not only the King's men they were killing, it was the city itself. One by one, houses were set on fire or violently dismantled as the enemy army progressed. To most it might look more like a riot than a carefully planned attack, but Zechs knew better.

Flying Epyon for the first time he surveyed his forces as they brought the kingdom where he had been born to pieces. His family had wanted peace. They had never realised that for as long as frontiers and divisions existed, peace could never truly be, but Zechs had and he knew the only way to change the future was to destroy the past…completely. He watched, pleased, as the market burned down. What better than fire to cleanse the land so he could start over?

Epyon turned brusquely as the catapults around the castle started firing at them. Zechs could feel the dragon's anger as he changed course to attack the men behind the dangerous contraptions. He wanted to limit casualties to a minimum, but he also knew his bond with Epyon was too recent for him to be able to influence a beast blinded by rage, so he focused on their next attack allowing the dragon to bring the catapults down as he mauled the guards manning them or nearly tore them in half with his sharp long tail. There was no controlling Epyon's rage so Zechs redirected it. He had not officially been a dragon rider for more than a day, but he had dreamed of being one for over 15 years, ever since Pagan had told him the stories and legends that surrounded those powerful warriors and their untameable beasts. For years he had studied and now he could finally test the information and put it to good use.

Underneath him, his men were shouting encouragements and applauding the destruction promoted by his dragon. Almost half the city was in flames and they were only getting started. Once done in the capital, they would move to the colonies and destroy them one by one, then only Romefeller would be left. With a small smile the masked dragon rider watched his plans come to fruition. The lost son of the Peacecrafts had finally come home and he was willing to do whatever necessary to achieve total pacifism.

* * *

**A.N.: **I think I've said enough already. Hahaha Sorry I could not make this longer than last week's... It seems I get blocked whenever Zechs shows up. Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11 **_

As the sun rose slowly, crowning the horizon with a new day, so did the gold crown in King Dermail's hands. He raised it high above his own head, allowing all those present to admire the delicate craftsmanship. A crown fit for a Romefeller queen, a courageous fighting queen. Treize watched with his usual pleasant smile as his adoptive grandfather carefully lowered the crown until it rested on top of Princess Relena's dark blonde head. She was kneeling in front of the king in a cream coloured dress that he was sure must be fancier than anything she had ever owned even though she was royalty. Her hair had been tied up and away from her eyes as was traditional for Romefeller Kingdom's brave women. It was a tradition they followed proudly, except perhaps for Dorothy, but not even Dermail could grasp his granddaughter's depths so she was excused, and Lucrezia Noin whose hair was too short for tying. Evaluating the many hairstyles around him, he let his eyes fall on Lady Une, that woman seemed to strive for perfection at everything she did and her hair was no exception.

Treize smiled, remembering the woman's reaction to the news of his impending engagement with the newly crowned Queen Relena Peacecraft. He had always liked to tease and surprise her, making her lose her composure only so he could have a glimpse of her more human side, it was a game they secretly played, yet this time her reaction had been way out of proportion. There had been jealousy and envy and rage and hatred all in the space of a minute confined in her light brown eyes. He had told her to relax and not dwell on it, he was not the kind that got easily stressed out. In fact, there was very little that could set him off those days. He was glad his 'blood' ties to Dermail would no longer have to be kept secret and he was looking forward to marrying the beautiful and fierce Relena. In Une's eyes he had seen death though and he knew – when the time finally came – she would be delighted to make him a widower and the most powerful man in the entire land. He did not intend to play by his grandfather's rules though, he did not agree with the older man's way of ruling and he figured he might even spare the new queen's life if he could get his way.

With a smile and a glass of wine in his hand, he approached the former princess holding his cape with his free hand and making a reverence. "My queen… Commander Treize Kushrenada at your service."

Relena's eyes widened at the introduction, but she recovered just as quickly. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Commander." She smiled. It never reached her eyes though.

"The pleasure's all mine, my lady, after all it is I who will soon be honoured enough to call you my wife."

"Yes…" her smile almost faltered. Treize could see it twitch, but the young queen held on strong and his smile widened. "It is true, is it not? However sudden…"

"Yes, it is." He agreed. "I am sure your father would have been pleased. I know your brother will."

"You know my brother?" she suddenly seemed a lot more eager to continue their conversation.

"I met him a few years ago at the Land of the Rising Sun. We became good friends in a way." He watched her closely. She wanted to contest him, it was inconceivable that her brother – a true pacifist – would befriend a son of Romefeller. _If only she knew the real Milliardo… _Treize was enjoying himself, testing her self-control.

"Do you know where he is?" she finally asked.

"At the present moment? No. I am afraid I have not the slightest idea."

It was when the door flew open and a desperate looking messenger stumbled in, his eyes searching the crowd desperately. Treize recognised his man and strolled towards him, pushing people out of the way. He noticed, puzzled, that Relena was following. By the time they reached the man he was already back on his feet, but regaining his breath did not seem as easy. "Commander…" he panted. "Commander Treize… Sir… Sanc… Sanc is under attack!"

"Under attack?" he inquired confused. "By whom? The dragon riders?"

"No…" the man shook his head. "No, sir. They are calling themselves… The White Fang."

Treize frowned. "Zechs." He spat, noticing that Lady Lucrezia stood right behind the messenger with a disbelieving look on her face.

"Treize." Dermail approached. "Queen Relena is the rightful ruler of Sanc and the colonies."

Both men turned to the young woman and, for the first time, she felt just how heavy that delicate golden crown could be. "What are Your Majesty's orders?" her future husband inquired calm, but serious.

Relena frowned for a moment as if in deep consideration, then met Treize's eyes with conviction. "Protect my people."

"Yes, my queen." As he turned to leave though he added over his shoulder. "Do not let this spoil Your Majesty's party."

His charming smile was the last thing she saw before he disappeared in the crowd.

XXX

Duo took Hilde's hand in his and smiled charmingly. He had just told her one of his funniest flirtatious jokes. "Duo that's so outdated…" she chuckled, but it quickly turned into a full blown laugh when she noticed the confused almost dejected look on his face. He had been called many things throughout the years, but 'outdated' had certainly never been one of them. She patted his hand as she slowly controlled her laughter. "How old are you guys anyways?"

"Uh…" he scratched his head unsure. "Trowa, how old are we?"

Trowa, who had been quietly feeding their dragons, hoping against hope not to be noticed, flinched at the sound of his name and sighed. "Why do you always ask _me_?"

"Well… I guess you sort of look like you keep track of everything… Being the quietest one of us and all…"

"I get it." He cut in. It was supposed to have been a rhetorical question. "I would say we are around 15 hundred years."

"I'm old enough to be your gradfather!" Duo turned back to Hilde somewhat shocked by the realisation.

"Duo, you are old enough to be her grandfather's grandfather."

"It's all right." The young woman giggled. "You don't look it."

"Thank God." He said, truly relieved.

"If we looked our age we would be piles of dust." Wufei crossed the archway with a sombre expression on his face. Trowa put down the buckets he had been carrying, anticipating bad news. Duo squeezed Hilde's hand. "The masters want to talk to us _all_. Now."

He turned around and walked back in without another word. The others followed silently. There could only be one reason for this sudden summons and so early in the morning as well… New orders. Were they going after the princess again? Had Heero made it there yet? What if she was his new master? They would activate his curse if they killed her, turning him back into stone… Those questions ran through all their heads as they joined Quatre in front of that suddenly despising cherry wood table.

"Has any of you spotted your former comrade?" wizard H asked with unusual calm, but the riders were not fooled by his strangely gentle tone for there was obvious underlying rage. "No? Must I remind you that he was the reason behind your untimely failure?" that last part he added especially for Wufei's sake. Apparently, the wizards could read them just as well as they could read the wizards, still they underestimated their loyalty to one another. It was true Wufei and Heero had their differences and not all of them had been settled, but they were still friends in their own way.

"Very well, then…" J cut in before H could continue grilling the young men. "We have learned that Princess Relena is being held captive in Romefeller Kingdom." At that Trowa and Wufei turned to Duo who raised his hands and shook his head as discreetly as possible, trying to convince them it was not Hilde's fault.

"I had a vision…" wizard S started as the riders' heads snapped back to him. "She is being crowned at this very moment, but there will still be time if we strike now."

"Your orders…" J stood up to speak, but he could not finish. A gust blew open the heavy wooden doors that led to the hall and shattered the few unshattered windows of the decadent and empty ceremony room where they gathered.

"What is it, J?" G stood up, grabbing the other wizard's forearm worriedly. "What did you see?"

"Sanc Kingdom is under attack…"

"Is it Oz again?" S asked.

"But they have the princess…" G shook his head with a frown.

"The masked man…" O stated simply, recalling his vision.

"Yes." J nodded, regaining his seat somewhat paler. Duo and Quatre exchanged worried glances. "And he is coming for us next."

"For us?!" H turned to their leader, outraged.

"Riders! New orders…" he watched as the young men suddenly stood straighter, anticipating his words. "Protect our kingdom… Protect the colonies!"

"Yes, master."

* * *

**A.N.: **Sorry, guys, I know this is short. The main reason is because I got caught up working on a one-shot that - I'll be posting this weekend - and yet I did not want to leave this unupdated so... I meant to write more DuoxHilde too, but I've always found Duo really difficult to write and my mind was blank. I'll make it up to you next week for sure, the next chapter's looking really promising. Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter 12**_

As soon as the door closed behind Treize, Relena found herself staring down at the kneeling form of Lucrezia Noin. "Queen Relena, I know it is my duty to protect Your Majesty at all times, but I must ask your leave to accompany Commander Treize."

Shocked by the sudden request, the newly crowned queen had to think twice before she answered. "Yes, of course. Please do." She nodded when the black haired woman did the same, then with another bow Lucrezia was gone and Relena found herself once again surrounded by people who wanted to congratulate her on her coronation and kiss her royal hand. She got rid of them one-by-one, making her best to be as dignified and respectful as a queen was supposed to be. She thought about her mother, now former queen and in the hands of the Alliance, and hoped she was alright. Her thoughts were soon interrupted though, as the musicians started playing, gentlemen of all possible ages surrounded her requesting a dance. They were all noble men, she was sure, lesser men would never have been allowed into the castle least of all within touching distance of the queen. She had met many a noble man when her father had still been alive, but she did not recognise any of those who surrounded her now and she certainly did not feel like dancing when a war threatened to destroy her home.

"Excuse me, gentlemen." It was Dorothy, pushing through the wall of men. She made her way past them until she was standing beside Relena. "Her Majesty has already been promised to my cousin and Oz's commander, Sir Treize Kushrenada."

The noble men turned to one another murmuring. Treize Kushrenada was Dermail's relative? That was even more surprising than the fact that he was to marry the queen. Apparently forgotten, at least momentarily, Relena allowed Dorothy to drag her away from her suitors and towards one of the emptiest corners of the ballroom. "Thank you, Dorothy." She felt obligated to say.

"Oh, it is my pleasure, Your Majesty." The blonde woman made one of her long lasting curtsies, the smirk back on her lips. "The members of our court can be quite aggressive when it comes to conquering a lady's favours, especially such a highly stationed lady as yourself, Queen Relena."

"Do you think it is right for us to be celebrating, Dorothy, when our men are at war?" she asked boldly, knowing the crown would protect her if she enraged the other woman, but Dorothy's smug smile merely widened. Nothing seemed to faze her.

"War is always a good reason to celebrate, Your Majesty. It is our men's chance of dying with honour."

"Your women's as well." Relena added having noticed that, differently than her own kingdom, Romefeller allowed their women to fight as well if they wanted. It was perhaps the only good surprise she had had in the last couple of days. She had always believed women could be as strong as men, not necessarily physically, but in an emotional, psychological level. Her father had shared her views or he would never have chosen Sally as their family's private physician.

Dorothy smiled at that, a more genuine smile, though it still looked a lot like a smirk. "If it would please my queen, I could make up an excuse so Her Majesty could leave the party and return to her chambers."

"You would…" Relena regarded her surprised. "Why?"

"Well, Queen Relena… Let's just say I like you and I am not in complete agreement with my grandfather's methods." Dorothy answered mysteriously. She did not give the queen any time to ask more questions. "So? Would you like that?"

Relena blinked. "Yes, I would like to retire. Thank you, Dorothy."

"Once again, it is a pleasure to serve Your Majesty." And with that she floated back to her grandfather in her black dress – almost as fancy as the queen's – and explained the situation to the king. He nodded at her, raising his glass at Relena to salute her. She made a curtsy in return and soon Dorothy was leading her back to the living quarters where the luxurious chambers were located.

"I am leaving, Queen Relena." Dermail's granddaughter told her after some time. "I thought you should know in case you might start looking for me."

"Leaving?" Relena could not hide her curiosity. Would Dorothy consider taking her with her? This might be her only chance to escape Romefeller…

"I want to witness the battle from up close." came the honest answer as they halted in front of the queen's chambers. The fanciest after Dermail's. Relena met Dorothy's grey eyes trying to see something, anything that would reveal to her whether she could trust the woman or not, but there was nothing. "Enjoy the rest of your day, Queen Relena."

"Thank you, Dorothy. Good luck."

Dorothy made a final curtsy before disappearing down the corridor. Relena wondered at her guards' absence, but did not pay it much mind. She was not supposed to be back here until after the party, which would not be over for at least another couple of hours, therefore her chambers' guards must have been reassigned somewhere else. The empty corridor, still dark despite it being morning, gave her an eerie feeling and she quickly stepped inside as a chill ran down her spine. Not that she felt any safer within… That was most definitely not her home and, though she was queen, she did not feel like more than a trespasser standing there between the fire place and the massive cushioned bed.

She walked up to the window, wishing the chambers here had balconies like the ones in Sanc, but wishing did not make it so. It was when she heard the door open and mentally scolded herself for forgetting to lock it behind her. Just when she had thought she would be finally enjoying a few moments of peace and quiet… "What…" Relena started as she turned around, but stopped as she realised it had come for her. Death had come for her. "Heero…"

He stood in front of her now locked door in the black coat and white breeches of Romefeller's royal guard, the dark cape barely able to conceal the bow on his back. The long sword was clearly visible, but for once his hands were nowhere near its hilt. Relena felt a rush of energy flow between them, it warmed her inside before vanishing completely. Heero seemed to have been expecting that for his expression was not nearly as surprised and confused as hers. He nodded more at himself than at her and, to the queen's utter shock, kneeled at her feet.

"What are your orders, mistress?"

_Mistress? _She could feel the breath leave her at that. He did not meet her eyes, but kept his gaze low. "Stand up, Heero. Please." She waited until he had done so. For some reason, she did not feel right seeing him on his knees, nor giving him orders. She had been a princess before and now she was a queen, which meant she had been giving orders ever since she had been born, it came naturally to her, but she did not want to give _him _orders. Heero did not belong on his knees. "I do not want to be your… Mistress. I want to be your friend."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Is that an order?"

Relena almost growled. Almost, but not quite. How could he frustrate her so quickly and with so few words? She took a deep breath, sorting out her thoughts. "Is there not a way we can reverse this? How do I stop being your mistress?"

"You could dismiss my services in which case Wing and I would turn back to stone."

"So his name is Wing." She smiled widely, remembering the grey dragon, but then it disappeared as she assimilated his last words. "What do you mean by 'turn back to stone'?"

"A dragon rider can only live so long as he has a master to sustain him with his magic. Once you dismiss me, I will no longer have a means of surviving."

She bit her lip as she considered what he was saying. "Then only people who wield magic can be the master of a dragon rider…" He did not react in any way, but she took it as an affirmative. "But then that would mean… I have magical powers? How can I? I do not even know how to use them. How could I have become your mistress?"

"I am not sure. Nothing like this has ever happened."

"And what am I supposed to do? I mean… I do not want you to turn back into stone." Her honesty caught him off guard and she could see his eyes widen a little, his lips parting slightly, but he could not immediately come up with an answer. He cleared his throat and frowned. _At least this is new for the both of us._

"Give me orders." He said finally, his tone a little less monotonous.

"I do not want to give you orders." She insisted, watching as his eyes narrowed. Could he kill her now that she was his mistress? What would happen if he did? No, there had to be an invisible force that stopped him from killing his masters… That must be why he had not been able to kill her before. "Fine."

Her sudden change of heart seemed to surprise him even more than any of the things she had said and done before, but Relena just did not feel like discussing the issue. Not at the moment anyways. "Here's an order… Take me back to Sanc."

Heero frowned. That woman was going to drive him insane. She simply did not make any sense and it seemed to him that everything she said or did was meant to get under his skin. Was she doing it on purpose? Trying to make him lose his composure? She could have ordered him to kill anyone, but she wanted him to take her back to Sanc, to the middle of the war zone. _At least I have a mission. _He eyed her carefully. Relena blushed at his scrutiny, but refused to look away. Her bravery ingratiated her in his eyes and made his heart beat a little faster.

"Do you have a less…" he gestured towards her dress unsure what word to use.

"Flamboyant outfit?" she offered, smiling. "I think I saw some sort of uniform here somewhere…"

He watched as she practically disappeared inside the massive wooden wardrobe in her search for the aforementioned outfit. The connection he had felt when he had walked into her chambers had confirmed his suspicions of her being his new 'master', but they still did not know how it had happened and Relena did not even seem to be aware of her own power. It was going to be a long contract… Perhaps Wing could shed some light on the matter after all he had foreseen that she would break the curse.

The only problem with the dragon's visions was that they were not carved in stone, which meant that, if Heero made any wrong decision in the near future, he might end up changing fate and altering that outcome. That was why he always chose to follow his feelings when it came to those visions, if he did that at the very least he would not regret his choice even if things did not end well. Their last battle had been a fine example, but if he had not gone through with it they would not have lost and he would not have met Relena and become her servant, seizing the chance to free them all. If he had taken measures to alter fate, they would have probably succeeded and his blade would have been stained with the young queen's blood. For some reason, that thought disturbed him greatly.

"Heero?" it was not the first time she had called him, she seemed slightly uncomfortable, but he could not see why. Her eyes went to the clothes in her hand then to the door before turning to him. "Would you mind?"

He swallowed, turning around in case his embarrassment decided to show on his face. "I will wait outside." He said simply, his voice surprisingly even, and stepped out closing the door behind him.

Relena might be queen now, but that did not mean she was no longer Dermail's prisoner. They would have to be quick and discreet if they meant to make it out of the castle without creating a fuss. Her 'disguise', he realised when she walked out to meet him, could hardly be called that, though she did look different with her hair tied back in a low ponytail. "There was not a single cloak in there…" she explained as if reading his mind. Heero could see she was no longer as disturbed by his assessment of her as she had been before.

"Come." He told her and started making his way down the corridor. He had come prepared to kill Dermail and raise chaos so he had not really planned an escape, especially not an accompanied one. They would have to improvise.

The castle was like a labyrinth. Whenever they turned a corner they seemed to end up in a longer darker corridor then the one they had been before. Relena tried to remember the way back to Dermail's study where she had been the previous morning. She knew if they found the study they would find their way out, but she had only been there once and whenever she had needed to get anywhere there had always been a guard or a maid or Dorothy to escort her there. Heero had planned on leaving the same way he had come in…through a window. She wondered if she should just tell him that she was willing to try jumping off a window even though she really was not. He might survive somehow, he _had _survived the fall back in Sanc, but she was made of weaker stuff.

After what felt like a lifetime of growing tension, they finally found the stairs. "If we go down we will end up in the foyer and someone might see us…" she told him, remembering the party was taking place at the throne room as well as the ballroom and those were adjacent to the foyer. Guards and guests would be circulating all over the place. They could faintly hear the orchestra playing and the sounds of chatter and laughter.

"Then we must go up." Heero said simply and started going up with Relena close on his heels. She did not know what he had in mind, but she had no choice but to trust him. For some reason, she felt like she would have trusted him even if there had been other choices.

They ended up standing in yet another dark corridor, but at least this one led to a single door. Heero frowned. Should they risk crossing it? Or turn back and try the foyer? Voices underneath them made up his mind for him. There was no going back now. Without thinking, he took Relena's hand in his, dragging her with him down the corridor and through the lonely door, closing it behind them just as a guard reached the top of the stairs where they had been standing seconds before. His relief lasted but a moment for they were now on a walkway between two towers and a solitary guard stood watch less than five metres¹ away from them. He spotted the couple as soon as they walked out.

"What's going on?" the man asked, his tone preoccupied, but not antagonizing after all they were disguised.

"Her Majesty was in need of fresh air." Heero lied, making Relena regret not having worn her crown. Now, if the guard suspected them, she would have no proof as to her identity.

The guard paled visibly when he recognised her. "My queen." He kneeled. "I did not mean to be disrespectful, I…"

"There is no need to apologise." She raised her hand in a peace offering gesture and smiled which actually made the guard blush. "You were merely doing your job."

"Yes, Your Majesty." He could not seem to gather the courage to meet her eyes. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Actually…" Relena looked around for a moment trying to come up with an excuse to force him to leave them. "The walls here are a lot higher than I thought they would be… I would really like to be able to admire the view without having to stand on my toes…"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Certainly. I will see what I can do."

As he turned to leave through the door opposite to the one they had come from, Heero reached for his bow. _No need for witnesses. _He had the arrow aimed at the man's head when Relena's hand landed on his forearm. "Don't." she said simply. It was an order and Heero's arm relaxed. She was starting to enjoy giving him orders. Finally, a development that made any sense in his head, even though her requests still did not. "What now?" her voice re-emerged when the guard was safe behind the door, but just as she turned to Heero a strong gust forced her to close her eyes.

Wing landed elegantly in the middle of the walkway. He had to keep his wings close to his body to fit in the relatively narrow space, but he looked as if he were smiling, genuinely content to see Relena again. She ran straight towards him, ignoring Heero's warning not to, and the dragon lowered his head so she could caress his forehead. "Hello, my friend." She said with a wide smile.

Heero could not believe what he was seeing. His uncontrollable and temperamental winged partner had his eyes closed as the young woman encircled the big grey head with her arms. As he approached, he could hear the dragon emitting that gurgling that sounded almost like a purr, and he replayed his fall in his mind trying to remember if he had hit his head. He had not. Well, at least he would not have to fight Wing to make him allow Relena to ride him. Shaking away his shock, Heero mounted and extended his hand towards the young queen to help her up. Relena stared up at him in awe. "Come. We must go." He urged her, though he would have rather admired the blissful expression he saw on her face a while longer. She took his hand, allowing him to pull her up and onto Wing's back. "Hold on."

Relena snaked her arms around his waist as they took off. She imagined it would have been natural for her to have reservations about touching him in such an intimate way, but whether she should or should not have reservations, she did not. Once they were up and gliding over Romefeller Kingdom she relaxed her hold a little, turning to one side then the other as she admired the world from above. "It's beautiful…" she whispered dreamily with tear-filled eyes.

Heero glanced at her over his shoulder, remembering his first flight, and a small smile found its way onto his lips.

* * *

¹Aproximately 16.5 feet.

**A.N.: **Longest chapter ever? And it was ALL Heero and Relena. My writting just flows when they are on scene... I had a hard time with the word 'mistress' though, my mind conjured up all sorts of naughty imagines and I didn't know whether I should laugh or blush. I guess I got used to it at some point. Hope you, guys, will as well. Haha


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13**_

Trowa watched from the sky as the capital burned. After three consecutive attacks Sanc had not been able to resist. The remaining knights and guards were being forced to move towards the colonies in their unavoidable retreat. If the enemy needed an excuse to attack the colonies this would be it, though if they were indeed trying to bring down the kingdom attacking the colonies would be just natural. Taking control of them would have been a better idea from his point of view since the colonies produced all sorts of essentials from food to clothes to weapons, but from what Trowa could see this new enemy wanted no more than destruction. Pure and simple destruction.

Wufei and Nataku were flying not too far from him and he could see the anger in the other rider's face. There was no justice in destroying people's homes and livelihoods just for the sake of doing it, even Trowa could see the unfairness of it all. Kai wanted to attack, he could feel the dragon's anxiety, but they had a plan. Quatre had come up with it as fast as possible. He had always been their top strategist and they trusted him blindly, but then no plan had ever been put to action without Heero's approval and when it got to the actual fight it had been Wing's rider's foresight and quick thinking that had kept them in line. Now, with Heero gone, they felt like they had to prove themselves somehow, not only to him, but to one another.

"Barton." Wufei was suddenly beside him. "It's time."

He nodded, flying down to let Quatre know the enemy was almost in position. Their plan was a simple one… They would wait until the retreating Sanc soldiers had entered the forest with the enemies on their heels unaware that Duo and Scythe were already there hiding in the treetops, using the shadows as their allies. Wufei and Nataku would also be hidden in the river that ran beside the road and together they would surprise and delay the enemy giving the Sanc soldiers enough time to escape. White Fang's army was numerous and they could barely expect to get rid of all of their men between the two of them. That was where Trowa and Kai would come in, setting the forest on fire. Meanwhile, Quatre would ensure the cooperation of the fleeing soldiers in defending the colonies at least until the colonies' own defence forces had arrived.

They had all agreed with the plan and intended to do their best to make it succeed. Duo watched the road quietly, Scythe perched on a particularly sturdy branch, eyes gleaming in expectation. When the first men appeared, they immediately identified them as Sanc Kingdom men by their heavy old fashioned armours. Sanc had stopped investing in military technology and weaponry decades before, something that gave them a significant disadvantage. Not that the enemy was much better equipped. No, this was no Oz. The revolutionaries that called themselves The White Fang were each armed with whatever weapon they handled best and dressed in green, brown and white. Thankfully, Duo was not very fond of any of those colours.

Scythe climbed down the tree like a squirrel, his claws digging into the bark, scaring the men that were running by. Duo watched as one or two of them turned tail and ran back to Sanc. Three stood paralysed, their swords and lances forgotten in their hands and another – who had fallen on his ass – was screaming in utter terror. His high pitch was so annoying Scythe flew at his throat almost immediately. Well, at least Duo would not have to warn Wufei that the battle had started. Surely enough, he soon heard the sound of splashing water as Nataku emerged in time to catch a fleeing man by the ankle.

There was not enough space for flying underneath the trees so the two riders quickly left their dragons to fight on foot. Wufei could not help but shudder at the sight of Duo holding his, suddenly bloody, scythe with a smirk of pure pleasure on his face. No one could get the braided rider's depths. He unsheathed his own sword at the same time he dodged a desperate plunge from one of White Fang's members. Nataku dragged the man into the river before he had the chance to strike again. When he turned back around though he saw a man in a uniform he had not seen before and frowned. _What is Oz doing here? _He defended himself unsure whether he should strike or not. They had not expected Oz to be present and did not know on whose side they were fighting.

"'Fei!" Maxwell called him from a few metres away. After 15 hundred years he had gotten somewhat used to the nicknames, though Duo did not use them all the time, mostly when they were in the middle of a battle and communication had to be fast. "They're on our side!" Wufei frowned, trying to see whatever his teammate had seen. "Oz is on our side!"

"I heard you!" he snapped, watching as an Oz soldier thrust his sword into the body of a White Fang revolutionary. "Let's go back to Winner!"

They called their dragons. Scythe turned to Duo with half of a man still hanging between his teeth, the other half was under one of the black dragon's blood covered claws. Wufei frowned at the sight before mounting on a dripping wet Nataku without a second thought. They took flight, locating Quatre's white dragon almost immediately as it stood out against the dark brown of the road. Their blonde strategist was trying to talk some sense into the guards that had been running away from Sanc Kingdom. Wufei's eyes searched for Kai and Trowa, he had to stop them from setting the forest on fire. As much as he hated the idea they would need Oz's help to defeat this new enemy.

"Go warn Winner. I'll find Barton."

"Roger." Duo nodded and Scythe headed in Sandrock's direction.

Most of the guards were so scared they would not even give Quatre a second glance. It was frustrating, watching them run away like that when the colonies needed to be protected, but there was nothing that could be done. Of the few that actually stopped to listen to him only half seemed to be clear minded enough to understand what he was saying, still they kept exchanging wary glances as if the dragon rider was trying to fool them. Quatre almost lost his remarkable patience, but not quite. He rolled his eyes and sighed frustrated just as Scythe landed beside him scaring the remaining soldiers away.

"Did you really have to do that?" he turned to Duo, sounding more upset than actually angry.

"What?"

"Never mind… How are things at your end? Where's Wufei?"

"Not good. Oz troops are here as well and – believe it or not – they're on _our _side."

Quatre frowned. "Must have something to do with Princess Relena's coronation…"

"Yeah, right." Duo dismissed the comment. "What do we do?"

"We cannot defeat White Fang on our own… And _these _guys are not going to help." He gestured towards the running royal guard with something akin to disappointment in his eyes. "We have to stop Trowa from burning the forest with Oz in it."

"Wufei's already on it."

"No matter. Let's go!" Quatre jumped onto Sandrock's back and the two took off. As soon as they turned towards the spot where Trowa was supposedly stationed though, they realised they were too late. The fire spread quickly, replacing the green of leaves with its oranges and yellows and reds. A column of smoke rising high up in the sky. "We have to stop it!"

"How?" Duo shouted over the sound of the falling trees, his eyes widening at the impossibility of the task.

"Go find Chang. Nataku might be the only one that can help. I'll see what I can do."

With a nod from Duo, Scythe resumed his flight descending towards the spot where Trowa and Kai were supposed to be. He spotted them by the forest entrance, surveying their work. "Trowa! Stop the fire!" he shouted not bothering to land.

"What?" Trowa looked confused. "Why?"

"Oz is in the forest! They are on our side!" Duo continued shouting as Scythe flew in circles above the other rider. He could see Trowa swear under his breath before riding Kai into the inferno that had become the little forest. His eyes continued to scan his surroundings as he searched for Wufei. _I should have asked Trowa if he had seen him…_ But if Wufei had caught up with Kai's rider the fire would not have been started. Then, where the hell was Wufei?

It was at that moment that he spotted Nataku standing by the river. Alone. He landed near him somewhat worried, but the feeling vanished as soon as he saw Wufei at the other side of the river duelling an Oz officer. _Just what you'd expect from Wufei… _'I fight alone' had always been his motto. Well, at least, before he had joined them. Still, he could easily abandon the plan if he saw fit _or _was challenged to a duel which was something he would never refuse. Duo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. _That _was why they needed Heero… He met Nataku's blue eyes thoughtfully.

"We need to stop the fire." He told the dragon. "We can't do it without your help." He added when the creature did not even blink. Still, there was no response of any kind. Duo was starting to lose what little patience he had. Nataku was too much like Wufei. "Please?" he forced out finally and swore to himself that would be his final attempt.

They turned to Wufei as the stranger's sword halted inches before slitting his throat. "Do it." He told the man as Duo picked his jaw off the ground. Nataku looked about to strike, but the man smiled and sheathed his sword instead.

"It was a good fight." He said, turning to leave. "I hope we will face each other again."

Wufei watched the man walk away with a blank expression on his face. Then with a roar he thrust his sword, burying it into the ground. Duo took a step back unconsciously. Wufei looked possessed, swearing loudly in his mother tongue.

"Uh… 'Fei? Are you alright, man?" he asked unsure, thankful for the fact that there was a river between them. "We need to…"

"There's no need to stop the fire. Oz has crossed the river and moved safely into the colonies already."

"How do you know that?"

"That was Treize Kushrenada. Oz's commander."

Duo turned the way the uniformed man had gone, then back to his distressed comrade. He opened his mouth, but he could not come up with anything so he simply swore. It was when Sandrock and Kai both landed beside him. Quatre and Trowa running to join him. They eyed Wufei somewhat warily. "We can't stop the fire now…" it was Trowa who stated the obvious.

"What happened?" Quatre asked sounding concerned.

"Wufei…" he started, but then bit his tongue. "Well… It's not my story to tell." They turned to Wufei, but he did not seem to acknowledge them. He pulled his sword off the ground and sheathed it before walking away from them and further into the forest. Nataku followed silently. "Great!" Duo threw up his hands. "That was just what we needed."

"Come on, Duo." Quatre smiled and patted his shoulder. "We always make it. Even when the odds are against us."

With a nod they all returned to their respective dragons and headed to battle.

XXX

Zechs walked up the stairs, stopping at the landing to stare up at his father's portrait. His men had tried to set the castle on fire, but there was only so much fire could do between stone walls, so he had sent his men ahead to destroy the colonies while he reminisced in his lost past. It had taken him 13 years to return to his homeland and yet his father had never stopped searching for him until now, until death had taken him or rather Lady Une had. Lucrezia had told him of the rumours going on around Romefeller Kingdom. He had made a silent promise to avenge King Marticus, but that would have to wait until his revolution was over if his father's assassin survived it that is.

Continuing up the remaining stairs, he made his way to his mother's chambers. The first of his men to enter the castle had ensured the safe getaway of all remaining servants and even the former supporters of his family who had been imprisoned by the Alliance. They had ensured the safety of all except for one. His mother was lying feverish in her bed, unaware of the destruction going on around her. He carefully removed his mask and sat on the edge of the bed watching her peaceful expression. She had once been beautiful, strong and full of life much like Relena, but his disappearance had devastated her. Now, she was but a ghost of that woman.

"Mother? I am sorry." It was all he could come up with at the moment. There were no explanations he could give, nothing he could say that would justify his leaving in her eyes. She had never been the forgiving kind.

"Zechs…"

He turned to find Lucrezia Noin standing at the threshold. The first thing he felt then was anger, he had known Oz would come and try to protect what they already considered theirs despite his sister still being alive, but he had expected that one woman to stick to her post beside Relena and protect the new queen at all costs. His anger at her never lasted long though, there was just something in her eyes… Usually it was love and devotion, now it seemed more like disappointment. Not that he had not been expecting it.

"You were supposed to be with Relena."

"Relena's safe. You're the one who's gone mad."

"Mad?" he inquired unable to stop himself from laughing.

"You bonded with that dragon, didn't you?" she sounded accusing, but hurt. He need not answer. "How long do you still have before you're gone?"

"I'm not sure." Zechs turned back to his mother, trying to absorb that peaceful, careless feeling she seemed to emanate. "Will you still take care of my sister? She is the only one qualified to rule this new unified kingdom and lead it to total pacifism."

"You're doing this for Relena? You think she would approve of your methods?" Lucrezia was still trying to change his mind. She could not see it was too late.

"I am doing what no Peacecraft before me had the courage to do and I will attain peace even if it costs me my life, even if I can never be a Peacecraft again. It won't be these blood stained hands that will rule our kingdom, but Relena's pure iron will."

She shook her head in disbelief, staring at his rage filled eyes and wondering if the man she had fallen in love with still lived there somewhere. "You're really going to destroy it all?"

"It must be done. It is the only way we can reach peace."

"No, Milliardo. You are wrong." Relena stepped inside the room then. Lucrezia seemed shocked to see her there, but her brother merely smiled. It was a discreet, knowing smile. He quickly turned back to their mother. "You of all people should know that nothing can be born out of destruction, especially not peace."

"Spoken like a true Peacecraft. That's just how you should be, Relena. Father would have been proud of you." His smile widened as he spoke, but it also grew sadder. Relena did not like to see that expression on his face.

"You must come to your senses, brother."

"I have come to my senses." Milliardo stood up, replacing his mask. Now, standing in front of the queen was Zechs Merquise, leader of White Fang. "I am a dragon rider now and my dragon has shown me the future… You will not change my mind." He met both their eyes. "None of you."

"A dragon rider?" she whispered surprised.

Lucrezia nodded solemnly in confirmation, but then turned fully to the new queen as she finally realised that Relena should not even have been there. "What are you doing here, Your Majesty?" she asked as respectfully as she could manage. "It is far too dangerous for you to be here…"

"I needed to see my mother and Pagan… I needed to make sure they were unharmed." She was looking at her brother as she said that.

"Pagan's already been sent to the forest to await the end of the war with the other civilians." He told her before she could accuse him of anything. "I don't mean to harm innocent people, Relena. It is just the structure that I want to destroy."

She seemed unfazed by his apparent apology. "I will take mother to the forest as well. She should not be alone right now."

"Let me help you." Zechs offered.

"I do not need your help." Relena walked up to the doors leading to the balcony and pushed them open. The curtains waved violently as Wing landed in front of her and Heero dismounted.

Unsheathing his sword, Zechs moved to stand between his sister and the other dragon rider. "Careful, Relena. He wants to kill you." He scolded her angrily.

"He does not want to kill me." She tried to explain, but knew her brother would not listen, especially not now that Heero had unsheathed his own sword. They regarded each other dangerously, and Relena stepped between them before the first blow could be dealt, turning to Zechs with arms outstretched. "Heero does not want to kill me, brother. I am his mistress."

"Only his?" he asked not half as surprised as she would have expected him to be. She nodded. "What about the other four?"

"I do not know."

He did not seem about to let up though. His eyes met Heero's cold glare over his sister's shoulder, demanding an answer he knew he would not receive. "I challenge you to a duel." He said finally, raising his sword in front of him as he assumed a battle stance.

Heero smirked however discreetly and stepped in front of Relena. "I accept."

The queen gapped at them for a moment. "You cannot!"

"Don't worry, Relena. None of us can die anyways."

"Are you sure?" Heero's smirk widened slightly. Zechs merely continued to watch him warily. "Your transition is very recent, isn't it? Before you have joined your dragon in slumber your bond will not be complete which means you can still die separately." There was a frown on the masked man's face now though all they could see of it was a twist of his lips. "Do you still wish to fight?"

"Milliardo, don't." Relena begged him, but he did not pay her any mind. He moved first, plunging forward. Heero dodged easily taking a step to the side as they started circling each other, trying to measure the adversary's strengths and weaknesses and find an opening to attack. Relena approached Lucrezia. "We need to make them stop."

"No, Queen Relena. You do not understand… They need to do this."

"What do you mean? This is a meaningless battle."

"Your brother needs to test the dragon rider's ability to protect you."

Relena shook her head slowly. She did not really think that was what her brother wanted and could not see any point in that fight. The clashing of swords brought her attention back to the ongoing duel. Zechs had just defended Heero's third consecutive blow. The Wing dragon's rider was quick and precise, but her brother had had training and, despite the ideals of their family, fighting had always been a part of him. _Maybe that's why he left… _Another blow, this one from Zechs, aiming at his adversary's legs, but Heero defended and countered making White Fang's leader lose his balance. The next thing she knew the tip of Heero's blade was under her brother's chin and Zechs' own sword had travelled cleanly through Heero's lower abdomen.

"Permission to kill." He requested not taking his eyes off the masked man's. There was blood dripping on the floor… Relena could feel her hand tremble as she raised it to her face. The idea that Heero could not die was hard to grasp even as she tried to remind herself of it. She was so shocked she thought she would faint, thankfully Lucrezia Noin's hand was suddenly under her elbow, steading her. After one deep long breath, resolution returned to her face.

"Denied." She said with an angry frown, watching as Heero lowered his sword and stepped out of Zechs'. The masked man looked slightly shocked himself to think that, if his adversary were mortal, he would have just sacrificed his own life to achieve victory. Maybe that young man could be trusted with his sister's life after all. He watched as Relena hurried to him, all anger forgotten, pulling off her coat so she could help contain his bleeding with it. She looked at the blood with worry etched on her face, an expression that puzzled Zechs. "Are you sure you won't die? Even if you don't stop bleeding?"

"I will stop bleeding, but I may pass out before I do so we better hurry." He met her uncertain gaze, unsure of what to say. No one had ever been worried about him dying before. He knew he was doing her a service, but that did not seem like a strong enough reason for her to care so much. It was unsettling… "Your mother." He reminded her.

"Right." She agreed, but stared at his wound for another moment before turning towards the bedroom. He would have followed and helped her if a hand on his arm had not stopped him.

"Let me." Zechs said as he walked past him with a blank expression.

Heero watched him disappear inside the bedroom. Apparently, he was Relena's sibling. That would explain why he made as much sense as the young queen who seemed to throw him off balance at every turn. He had wanted to object to the enemy's – because that was what he was – offer to help, but he could feel the blood loss slowing his thinking process already. He did not even think he would have enough strength to carry the former queen and help her onto Wing's back.

As if reading his mind, the dragon approached touching his wound lightly with his muzzle. He caressed the hot scaled forehead, drawing some comfort from the action as the energy flowing through their bond eased his pain. "We'll be alright." He told Wing, though he was not sure himself what he meant.

* * *

**A.N.: **I woke up one of these days and I just knew how I wanted to end this. I'm sure most of you have noticed by now that I am basing my story line in that of the anime, there will even be dialogues adapted from there in future chapters, but the ending will be my own and I am really happy with what I've got planned. I hope you'll stick around until then so you may tell me your own opinions when the time comes. Thanks for your support!


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter 14**_

As she walked among the retreating White Fang troops, Dorothy admired what was left of Sanc Kingdom's capital city. She was truly impressed by the level of damage they had made on such short notice even though some damage had already been made by the dragon riders and then Oz… If she could have she would have stopped to watch the embers, but as it was she was a prisoner and she knew the mean-looking Quinze was already holding himself back from physically harming her. Dorothy loved battles, but gratuitous violence was not something she condoned and she could see how stupid it would be to give the man an excuse to harm her. She wanted to be at her prime when she met the infamous Zechs Merquise, the masked man who fought for no apparent reason, but for the sake of chaos itself. A man who did not seek power was a genuinely rare and intriguing specimen in her eyes.

The castle had been left pretty much unharmed though she could clearly see the scrapes and darkened spots in the stones, indicating they had tried to do some damage after all. She had never been to the capital before however rebellious a teenager she might have been. The colonies were as far as she had dared go, but then the restrictions to relations between them and her own kingdom had long been removed and Dorothy had had nothing to fear.

For someone born in Romefeller to visit the capital though was some sort of taboo. Like the streets of Sanc were not good enough for someone like her to walk on. She imagined what her grandfather's face would have looked like if he knew she was climbing up the stairs under the masterful gaze of King Marticus' hand-painted portrait.

Quinze led her up the rest of the steps and down the corridor until they had reached the balcony overlooking the kingdom. _What a perfect sight of destruction… _There, standing by the railing, were two figures one of which was surprisingly familiar to her. Dorothy stood at the archway, half hidden behind Quinze as they waited for a minute of Zechs' precious time.

"Are you really going to go through with this?" Lucrezia Noin asked in a tone that was both hurtful and sceptical.

"I thought I had made myself clear." Came the impassive answer though it lacked the anger one would have expected.

"If that is the case then I won't be staying, Zechs. I cannot abide by this, not and still retain any of my conscience." She sounded certain.

"I never asked you to stay." He told her simply though by the hurtful innuendo it did not seem nearly as simple.

"I will fight by Relena's side. That's where my place is." Lucrezia hesitated for a moment, but he was not even looking at her so she merely turned away with tears in her narrowed eyes and strolled out. She did not notice Dorothy standing there or if she did she paid the blonde woman no mind.

Zechs turned to them, making it obvious he had been aware of their presence all along. Dorothy had heard rumours about him, whispered words that had made him seem more like a magical creature, maybe a god or a monster, than a mere man. She was not disappointed though, if he was indeed a man then he was a very unique one. "Quinze." He called the man forward. "What do you report?"

"Our troops are retreating to the capital… The sun will be setting in a couple of hours and we could not face off against both Oz and the dragon riders without a good plan. We had not expected for Oz to get here so soon and especially not as well armed as they did. Your friend Treize is in charge and I hear King Dermail himself will be descending to join the fight."

"I had expected Treize, but Dermail…"

"My grandfather's a fool." Dorothy stepped in then, igniting the tense atmosphere with her usual smirk. "He should hardly bother you, if at all."

"Is that…" Zechs turned to Quinze pointedly ignoring her, not that the young woman minded. Every little thing he did was of great interest to her.

"This is Lady Dorothy Catalonia, the granddaughter of King Dermail of Romefeller Kingdom. She willingly surrendered herself to us."

Zechs snorted. "Who sent you? Does Treize really think I can fall for this sort of trick? Or was this your grandfather's idea?"

"I am not a spy, my lord." Her smirk did not make things easier on her. "I came here because I wish to join you."

"To join me?" he inquired sceptically, he honestly thought this was some ridiculous jest. He turned back to Quinze. "What about Oz and the dragon riders?"

"They have all retreated. They put up a good fight, even burned down a forest in their attempt to stop us. We could not make it into the colonies."

"I suppose that proves the dragon riders are working for the wizards…"

"Yes, I suppose it does. What are your orders?"

"For now, tell them to treat the wounded, eat and rest. I will need you to measure our losses and evaluate the general state of our remaining troops and then report to me. Only then will I decide whether we will attack again tomorrow or wait another day and risk giving Treize the time to come up with a strategy."

"What about…" Quinze turned to Dorothy.

"Lock her up. She'll be executed first thing in the morning." His tone was ice cold, but she seemed unfazed. In fact, she stepped forward with resolution written on her face.

"Once there lived a man with two names…" she started, and Zechs narrowed his eyes. "He was the heir of a pacifist nation, but he put on a mask and changed his name so he could do something no one else had the courage to do. Soon he became the legendary hero of an army. What pushed him this far? Can his actions be seen as an act of pacifism? Or are they simply a result of the instincts of a hero?" Dorothy's voice had a strange kind of passion in her voice and words. "It is possible that this man actually dislikes peace or maybe he dislikes his younger sister who still follows their father's pacifist ways… Nobody really knows his true intentions." She was serious as she met White Fang leader's covered eyes. "I want to be with you, Milliardo. To imprint this war on my memory. After all, this is going to be the final war.*"

Zechs was watching her quietly, thoughtfully, but Quinze's voice brought him back to the moment. "Commander?"

"Welcome to White Fang, Lady Dorothy." He said finally, making the older man gap incredulously at him and Dorothy's smile smuggly. "Quinze will show you to your room."

XXX

Wing landed near the foot of the mountain where the vegetation grew sparse and the entrance to a cave could be seen. The people hiding inside the cave ran even deeper into the mountain at the sight of the grey dragon. Heero somehow made it to his feet without falling. The bleeding had stopped at some point, but he felt completely drained and lightheaded. Wing helped Relena dismount and she ran towards her people. He watched unsure whether they were shrinking away out of instinct and blind fear or if they just did not recognise her.

"We need help." She begged, knowing they could see the motionless form of her mother lying over the dragon's back. "Please, we need help." There was a growing touch of desperation to her voice as her request was met only by frightened wide-eyed looks. Heero knew she was worried about him just as much as she was about her mother and something inside him warmed up at the thought. He could not dwell on it though, he was having a hard enough time just standing on his feet.

"Princess Relena!" a voice reached them from the heart of the mob and soon an elderly man with a moustache and hairy eyebrows was making his way towards them, pushing people out of the way.

"Pagan!" Relena's eyes filled with tears at the sight of him and she ran towards the man, enveloping him in a hug.

"You should not be wearing that uniform…" he said when she had pulled away, allowing him to hold her at arm's length. "Find something for Princess Relena to wear!" he ordered one of the women and she disappeared inside the cave followed by most of the others.

"It is _Queen _Relena now." She told him not sounding entirely happy about it, but before he could make any questions she dragged him towards the dragon. "Come. We must help mother."

Wing turned to growl and bare his fangs at the man, but Heero held onto his head not only to soothe him, but to steady himself as well. Relena's eyes met his for a moment, but he shook his head as if telling her to worry about her mother and not about him. If Pagan was afraid of the dragon he did not show. Soon they held the former queen between them. A few other men came out of the cave to help them once they were far enough from Wing. Heero watched until they were all gone then allowed the dragon to lead him away from the entrance and towards a nearby pile of rocks. Wing settled comfortably against them, the surrounding trees providing enough shade to make the spot cool until the sun had set, which would not be long. Unable to stand any longer, Heero sat with his back against the dragon's neck and shoulder and drifted into an uneasy, painful sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, the sun had already set and Relena was walking out of the cave with a small bowl in her hand. It took her some time but, when she finally spotted them, her face lit up with a relieved smile. Her relief seemed to contaminate him somehow for he found himself unable to look away from her. He could not help but notice that she was still wearing the clothes from Romefeller and that they were stained with his blood.

"I brought stew… Think you can eat?"

He had a hard time making his arms obey him, but he did manage to raise both hands and take the bowl she offered. It was not too hot so he simply tossed the spoon aside and drank it like it was water. Relena sat down beside him, watching, but she made no comment as to his lack of manners. The stew tasted wonderful. He could not remember when he had last eaten and he was starving. "How fares your mother?" he asked when he was done, not because he really cared but because he thought he had an obligation to ask.

"She is not getting any better, but she is not worse either. What about you?"

"I told you I will be fine." He had not meant to sound harsh, but by the time he realised how he had come across it was already too late. "I am sorry."

"Is there something I can do? You said I have powers…" she met his eyes still worried.

"You do." He agreed, though he knew there was probably nothing she could really do. She did not know how to use her magic after all. At that moment, though he wished she did… The pained look on her face made his heart ache.

"Do you think I could heal you if I knew how to do it?"

"Probably."

"How did your previous masters do it?"

"It varied… Magic functions differently from one magician to another. I do not really know how it works."

"How long will it take for you to heal on your own?"

"A wound this deep…" he looked down at his bloodied Romefeller uniform. At least he had not ruined his own clothes, not that he could go back for them now, but… "A week, maybe longer."

Relena did not look convinced, she shifted so she was kneeling in front of him, between his outstretched legs, and reached for the buttons of his coat. "May I?" she asked and, though he could barely hear her over the desperate beating of his own heart, he nodded. She did not really divest him merely pushed the fabric away, then gently raised the tunic he wore underneath so she could look at the wound. The moonlight did not help, but she knew by the quantity of blood he had lost that it was a serious wound. At least, there was no doubt left of his immortality… Any normal man would have been decomposing by that time.

"What are you thinking?" he asked somewhat breathlessly, between the blood loss and his racing heart, breathing had become difficult.

"Does it hurt?"

"I've been through worse."

She met his eyes then, looking as confident as she could given the circumstances. "I want to try something."

"Go on." He nodded reassuringly, hissing from both pain and something else altogether as her fingers brushed the edges of his wound gingerly. There was a crease between her eyebrows indicating just how concentrated she was, but though he felt his skin warm up and the pain dissipate nothing really happened.

"I'm sorry." She muttered, pulling her hand back to her lap and staring disappointedly at it. When she felt Heero's hand on her hair she looked up startled. There was a dreamy look in his eyes that took her breath away. She did not even protest when he tugged at the ribbon holding her ponytail together, setting her hair loose around her shoulders. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would burst and she could see by the movement of Heero's chest that he was breathing faster. Reassured by the fact that she was not the only one affected by their proximity, she leaned down courageously seeking his lips.

"Queen Relena?" the wind carried Pagan's voice all the way from the cave entrance. Relena pulled away, blushing when she realised what she had been about to do. Heero closed his eyes exasperated. He blamed the blood loss for his accelerated breathing _and _for pulling the ribbon off her hair so he could watch the moonlight play on the strands. The lack of oxygen had taken its toll on his brain.

"I should go…" she told him somewhat reluctantly.

"Hn." He nodded, handing her the empty bowl and the discarded spoon.

"Thank you." Her smile brought back some of the lost normality. "I will see you tomorrow?"

Another nod from him, a wider smile from her and she was gone. "What am I doing?" he asked feeling Wing's pensive green eyes on him. The dragon answered with that usual gurgling sound that was always so soothing. _Act on your emotions. Do not think just do it. _As if it was that easy… With a snort, Heero closed his eyes and found out that, now that the pain was gone and he had that strange warm feeling spreading inside him, he could finally sleep peacefully.

* * *

*This is actually and adaptation of Dorothy's speech to convince Milliardo to let her board Libra and join him at the end of episode 42.

**A.N.:** I think, in a way, Zechs is just as fascinated by Dorothy as she is by him and that's probably why he allowed her to stay even though she's like a time bomb ready to go off... Who knows? Thanks for reading and I'll see you next week!


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15**_

Wufei could not understand what had happened… How could he have lost? Were they really growing weaker with each passing century? There was no proof and physically he still felt as young and sharp as he had felt on the day he had decided to become a dragon rider. His bond with Nataku had only strengthened and yet… Was Treize Kushrenada really a better swordsman than he was? Could it be he was rusty from all those centuries he had spent in slumber? No, that just did not make sense. Nothing made sense anymore and he felt lost. He could feel Nataku following him from a safe distance and he wanted to send the dragon away… He was no longer worth it. He no longer had the right to be a dragon rider and fly Nataku into battle.

Moving deeper into the forest he sought solitude to sort out his thoughts and ended up following the river up to a waterfall. Nataku ran past him purring in delight and dove in, barely spraying any water as he did. Wufei climbed on top of a boulder that hung by the margin and adopted a meditative stance with his legs crossed and his forearms resting comfortably on his thighs. He closed his eyes, allowing the roar of the waterfall behind him to take him to another time and place.

Once he had been a married man, a happy man and his path had been clear to him, but then it had all been taken away. It was seeking revenge that he had sought the power of Nataku and decided to become a dragon rider, but revenge had left him feeling empty, unfulfilled, so he went on seeking justice for those who needed and deserved it like his dear Meilan had. At some point he had met the other dragon riders, he no longer remembered the exact circumstances… Those memories had been erased throughout the centuries as had many others. He feared the day he would no longer remember Meilan or the place he had come from. For, at the moment, he could still visualize her face, her beautiful smile and remember how she had fought for justice when she had been alive. She would not have wanted him to doubt himself, she would have told him to pull himself together and challenge Treize to a rematch.

"We are only travellers." A woman's voice brought him out of his trance. He stood up looking for Nataku, but the dragon had not yet re-emerged.

"You don't look like travellers to me." A masculine voice barked back. Wufei decided to follow those voices. "You look like White Fang snitches trying to sneak into our colony…" the man sounded like he would force the supposed travellers to repeat those words no matter the costs. Some bounty probably awaited him if he did.

As Wufei walked silently between the trees, the group finally came into view. He hid behind a particularly sturdy tree, listening. The traveling group was being led by a blonde woman wearing a simple dress and cloak, she looked nothing like a member of White Fang. The man addressing her wore the dark uniform of Oz, he was accompanied by two others in similar uniforms and they were all armed with long swords, bows and daggers. In the growing dusk, Wufei could not make out the travellers' weapons, but they seemed unarmed. The unfairness of the situation struck him.

"I told you we are mere travellers." The woman insisted, her tone one of anger and annoyance. "We have women and children with us and most of our men are wounded." She assumed a less aggressive stance then, trying to coax the man into listening, but he would have none of it.

"Really?" he asked sarcastically. "And what do I tell my superiors when those _wounded _men turn out not to be wounded at all?"

The woman glared at him, and Wufei could see her reach for a weapon underneath her cloak. She was not fast enough. The Oz officer grabbed her arm while one of his comrades aimed an arrow at an elderly woman with a baby in her arms. The woman whimpered, holding the child closer as she started pleading and weeping. All other travellers looked scared and went deadly quiet. Their leader – the blonde woman – raised both hands above her head in surrender. The Oz members smirked and it was then that Wufei knew they would kill her, not only her but all of them. He had to intervene.

Silently, he unsheathed his sword and crept up on the man farthest from the travellers. The edge of his blade touched the man's neck. "Drop your weapons and I'll allow your companion to live." He announced as clearly as he possibly could. The arrow that had been aimed at the elderly lady was suddenly aimed at him and the man who had grabbed the blonde woman's arm turned his back on her, drawing his sword and pointing it at the intruding stranger. It was grievous mistake. The woman's sword was through him as soon as she had recovered from her own surprise.

Wufei moved quickly, knocking down the archer with a well-aimed kick before the man could turn his vengeful thoughts into actions. The third man stood stock-still even though the stranger's sword was no longer against his neck. "Take your comrade with you and return to your commander." Wufei ordered. He did not look surprised when the man obeyed, picking up his unconscious partner and half carrying half dragging him back to the colony. "The rest of you may follow him. He knows you are not White Fang members and his commander is reasonable."

As the frightened travellers walked quickly past him, avoiding his gaze, he found himself face to face with their leader. "Thank you for your help." She smiled at him bowing briefly. "I am Sally Po, physician to the late King Marticus and His Majesty's family."

"Chang…Wufei." He introduced himself though he did not bow. "You should not have killed him. As vile as he might have been, we need every single man to protect the colonies right now."

"I am here to aid as many as I can and get them back into the fight." Sally's smile faltered suddenly as she caught a glimpse of the dragon approaching them. Her eyes met Wufei's then and, when she did not see any changes in him, she understood. The smile returned to her face even brighter. "I hope you will continue to aid us as well. Good luck, Wufei." She made a curtsy and strolled after the others.

He stood there for a long time, watching puzzled until Sally had disappeared in the shadows that now engulfed the forest. Then he sought Nataku, running his hand up the side of the dragon's face. "I know I am not worth it, but I need you to lend me your power a while longer." The grey eyes seemed full of understanding as Nataku nuzzled his hand.

XXX

"I hear there's a forest behind the castle and a mountain at its edge, surely there must be plenty of places to hide…" Trowa commented as he took a sit by the fire pit.

"And you seriously think the people that fled from the fight will be able to add to our forces?" Wufei sounded nothing short of sceptical.

"Sanc is a pacifist kingdom so people are not really forced to join the guard or army. Many of the men that fled and even the women must be in good enough shape to fight." Quatre defended Trowa's idea. "We need as many swords as we can get against White Fang."

"Yes, a bunch of amateurs will definitely make a great difference." Wufei crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "What do our masters have to say about this?"

"They have given us carte blanche as long as we protect the colonies." The blonde rider informed him. "You would have known if you had been there."

"We had to cover for you, Chang." Duo eyed him somewhat sternly as he stood over the fire. Hilde had left to join the fight, their masters had given her permission, and she had yet not returned. He felt betrayed and worried, but he knew there was nothing he could do at the moment except try to help his comrades protect the colonies and hope that by protecting the colonies he would also be ensuring Hilde's safety. "Scythe and I will go. We can sneak into the capital unseen and find the refugees."

"You'll need to go alone." Trowa told him seriously. "We cannot leave our end unprotected."

"I know. We were not expecting company." He smiled reassuringly at Quatre as he said that. The blonde young man had been watching them worriedly. "I'll be back before you miss me."

"Like that's ever going to happen." Wufei muttered. Duo stuck his tongue out at him but the black haired rider had his eyes closed.

"Before dawn then." He saluted them with a smug smile before running up to his dragon and jumping onto the creature's slim back.

Scythe – nearly invisible to the untrained eye – surveyed the forest on the way to the capital. Duo steered him up and towards the summit of the mountain that overlooked the dense forest behind the castle. That sanctuary had remained untouched throughout all the attacks sustained by the city, even White Fang's attack, which had intended to do no less than destroy everything it could reach, had not caused any damage to the forest. It seemed, though their enemy cared little about people's homes and shops, they did respect and treasure their lives. White Fang's motives were unclear to him, but he knew, at least, they were not aiming for a blood bath.

They landed at the mountain. Scythe's sharp claws digging into the rocks as he clung bottom up to the giant mineral wall. Duo's eyes inspected the moonlit trees at the very edge of the forest until his eyes caught the glimpse of a flickering fire to their left, probably inside a cave. He goaded his dragon on, and Scythe crawled down like a bat hanging onto every crevice and every edge with both claws and wings, using his long flexible tail for balance. They descended silently, so much so, they were almost at the ground before they were spotted and the only reason that happened was because they were spotted by another dragon.

Wing was curled up by a pile of rocks, conveniently concealed by a half circle of trees, but he raised his head when he caught their scent. The grey dragon did not look very alarmed, mostly curious. His green eyes followed their every move as they reached the ground. Scythe crawled as quick and silently as the smallest of lizards, sticking to the shadows until he was standing beside the other dragon. Duo dismounted alarmed at the fact that Heero did not seem to have noticed their presence. He hesitated, if he startled his former comrade he might end up with his throat slit and that was something he did not look forward to even though he knew he would survive the assault. Thankfully, Wing's stirring seemed to have already awakened him.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?" Heero inquired with eyes still closed.

Duo approached slowly, mindful of the light streaming from the cave nearby. "What are you doing here?" he asked, realising he was actually happy to see his fellow dragon rider again.

"Protecting Relena."

"Relena? As in _Queen _Relena?" the answer was a stare as Heero finally opened his eyes. "Is she your new master?"

"Hn."

"Did you bring her all the way here from Romefeller?"

"We flew here."

"You what?!" Duo covered his mouth instinctively, but it was too late. They heard voices inside the cave. He stared dumbfounded at the other rider. "Your dragon let her ride him?"

"Regardless of what Wufei might think, I can control my dragon well enough." Heero glared at Duo and Wing glared at him as if in disagreement. He either did not see it or pretended not to.

"Have you figured out how she did it? How she stole you away from the wizards?"

"No. She did not even know she had powers…"

"She did it without knowing? That's the craziest thing that's ever happened to us in 15 hundred years…" he scratched his head thoughtfully. There were extremely powerful people in complete control of their magic that had failed to even summon them and this young lady had stolen Heero from his master without even trying to. Duo could not even fathom what she would be able to do when she grasped the extension of her power… It was no wonder Wing thought she might be able to break their curse.

"You won't be able to convince them…"

"What?" he snapped out of his thoughts.

"You're here to recruit more people to defend the colonies, are you not?" Heero sounded slightly annoyed.

"How did you…?" but then he met Wing's eyes and remembered. "Never mind. What else did you see?"

"We cannot convince them, but Relena can. She's their queen and they believe her."

"Well… Guess I'll need to talk to her then." Duo eyed the cave entrance warily. Two guards armed with crossbows had moved to stand there after hearing his earlier shout. "Will you come with me? I don't really feel like getting an arrow through my chest."

Heero sighed, pushing himself up somewhat stiffly. Duo's eyes followed his hand as it moved to clutch at his side where his coat and tunic were torn and stained with blood, but, instead of a painful frown, Heero's face took on a surprised almost disbelieving expression and he lifted the tunic to reveal pale unblemished skin. For a moment he swayed and had to catch himself on Wing's shoulder. Duo took a step forward, but Heero held out a hand to stop him. Apparently, he had not expected his wound to be gone so soon. Maybe Queen Relena could do more than just steal people's servants without meaning to.

After Heero got reacquainted with his own unharmed body, they walked slowly towards the guards, holding up their unarmed hands, just in case. Duo hissed when the men pointed their crossbows at them anyway. "It's the dragon rider that brought Princess Relena back." One of them commented recognising Heero after a moment.

"It's _Queen _Relena now." The other corrected him, then turned to the two approaching young men, looking half cocky and half afraid. Duo had the feeling they would rather run than attack. "What do you want?"

"We want to talk to the queen." Heero told them simply.

"Her Majesty is resting." The guard told them shifting from foot-to-foot as if unsure whether he should back away or hold his ground.

"We're well aware of that, genius." Duo was not in a patient mood. "We don't want to get in the cave and scare the living hell out of everyone so could you just call her for us?" he had a smile on, but it was not a very friendly one and the scythe on his back seemed far too close to his raised hands for the guards to feel comfortable.

"What is going on here?" a third man appeared and Heero recognised him immediately as the man Relena had addressed as Pagan. He seemed to be the one in charge while the queen rested. "That young man there saved your queen's life and you still dare point your weapons at him?"

The guards lowered their crossbows looking genuinely ashamed. "We apologize, my lord." One of them said and both bowed briefly.

"Go and inform Her Majesty of our friends' presence."

"Yes, sir!"

Duo watched as the guards trotted into the cave with the old man on their heels and let out a relieved whistle, his mood immediately shifting from threatening to cheerful. Heero frowned at him unsure how he could go through so many emotions in such short amount of time without going completely insane. "That was a close call." The braided rider said finally.

Heero did not answer. He still could not get over the fact that Relena had healed him and there was not even any soreness left. Her power was unbelievable and yet somehow, until recently, she had not even known she had it. Wing was right, he was sure of it now, if anyone could break their curse it was Relena. They just had to figure out how. He looked at Duo out of the corner of his eye as the braided rider swung on the balls of his feet, he would rather keep the information to himself until it was a certainty. He did not want to disappoint his former comrades yet again.

"Heero." Relena came strolling out of the cave then, a warm smile on her face, and he could not help but notice that she was no longer in her stained clothes, but in a simple white dress that made her look like she was floating towards them. She halted when she noticed Duo, but proceeded after a moment, no sign of fear in her eyes.

"Your Majesty, Duo Maxwell." He made a show of bowing and kissing her gloved hand. Her smile widened.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Duo Maxwell. I presume you too are a dragon rider?"

"The best of them all." As he puffed up his chest, Heero snorted and the queen's attention was suddenly all over him, leaving Duo blinking confused.

"Should you be up so soon?" Relena asked touching him on the arm without giving it a thought. Heero noticed Duo's hanging jaw and shifted uncomfortably, feeling self-conscious. He gently brushed the lady's hand aside.

"I am fine." Was all he said, promising himself he would tell her what had really happened once Duo was far enough not to watch her reaction. "We need to talk to you."

She let it go, though she still looked worried, and nodded allowing the smile to return to her face. "Alright."

They returned to where they had left the dragons with Relena following quietly behind them. Duo would have elbowed Heero and winked at him if he did not think he would have ended up with a sword in his stomach. He smiled at Scythe as the dragon came forward to greet him, but the creature halted at the sight of Relena, its red eyes sparkling. Scythe turned to Wing then as if evaluating the other dragon's reaction to the unknown human, but Wing remained impassive, as comfortable in the young woman's presence as in any of the others'.

For some reason, Relena seemed attracted by the black dragon. She stepped past Heero before he could protest and stood beside Duo in front of Scythe. The dragon took a step back when she raised her hand, but did not bare his teeth at her. Their eyes met and something seemed to pass between them. Next thing Duo knew his dragon had his muzzle against Relena's palm and his eyes closed as he exhaled all the tension. He turned to Heero gaping and wide-eyed. _What the…? _Heero merely shook his head, he did not understand it either, he simply accepted it as some sort of miracle and went on with it.

"Well…" Duo cleared his throat awkwardly. "Now that we're all acquainted… How 'bout we take a seat on the…ground and get down to business?"

Relena let the dragon go and tuned to Heero who nodded in silent agreement. They sat side by side against Wing while Duo stood in front of them not paying any heed to his own suggestion. He paced as he spoke, explaining what had happened after Heero's departure and their plan to recruit more soldiers among the civilian refugees. Relena bit her lip worried as she thought about her people going to war. She had told Dorothy she did not like the idea of her people dying for her and she had meant it, but now they were asking her to use her people's love for her to convince them to fight…

"What would you do?" she turned to Heero, ignoring the surprise on both riders' faces as she did so.

"This is their home as much as it is yours, Relena. They deserve the chance to fight for it and you are the only one who can give it to them."

There. It had been said and just like that he had altered her entire perspective. She smiled widely, confusing him further. "Thank you. I will talk to them."

"Well, then my work here is done." Duo bowed briefly. "I'll trust you to bring the reinforcements…"

"Good luck, Duo." Relena told him with a smile.

"Don't worry about your colonies, my queen. We will make sure they're safe." He saluted her and hopped onto Scythe's back just as the dragon stood up. Dawn was still a couple of hours away so they should be able to leave the capital without much trouble.

Heero watched him take off with a frown. He believed what he had told Relena, but he was not sure how much a group of untrained civilians would be able to help. Numbers were not everything. That also applied to White Fang. Oz was well trained and they were on their side for once, not all of White Fang had received special training most were recruits and still raw. From his point of view, the odds were pretty much even. He turned to the young queen as she scratched Wing under his chin with an easy smile. Maybe if she discovered how to use her powers she could give them an advantage.

"It worked." He told her suddenly.

"What did?" she half turned to him, her attention still focused on the grey dragon.

"Your healing magic."

"It… did?" Relena gasped. "May I… May I see it?"

Heero nodded, lifting his tunic so she could evaluate the results of her work. She gaped, her eyes sparkling merrily, and reached out to touch him. When he flinched under her hand she pulled away though. "My apologies. I should have asked for your permission." The queen blushed, horrified at her own lack of manners.

"It is unnecessary to ask for permission. I am here to serve you, so you may do as you please." He reminded her stoically.

Relena blinked at him, unsure how to take that statement. She had thought they had made progress, but it seemed the blood loss had been affecting his thinking process and now that he was somewhat recovered he was back to his old aloof self. Her sigh earned her a raised eyebrow. "I do _not _mean to treat you as an object, Heero. In fact, I want you to feel free to do as _you _please." At his confused frown she decided to elaborate. "Earlier tonight you untied my hair without my asking you to and I am grateful."

He watched her smile and bow her head to stress her gratefulness. _Do as I_ please_? _He had often relied on emotion to make decisions, but to actually analyse those emotions without the need to decide anything… Or to take action not based on need but on whim. It sounded outright ludicrous. True, it was exactly what he had done when he had untied her hair and it _had _felt oddly satisfying. Not only that but she was thanking him for it, still it was hard to see the action as anything other than a breach in protocol. "Is that an order?" he asked, finally, because if it were he would be able to indulge in it without second guessing himself.

An exasperated look fleeted across the young woman's face, but she quickly forced a patient smile in its place. Heero fought the urge to frown at that smile, it made him feel like a child. "Yes, it is an order." She conceded.

"Thank you. It pleases me to follow the code of conduct."

"Very well, then." Relena actually giggled at him as he stood up, offering his hand to help her to her feet. She accepted with a thankful nod. "I will talk to my people now."

She gave him yet another smile over her shoulder as she went. _She seems…amused. _As he watched her walk away he felt a small smile tug at the corners of his own lips. He could not fathom why, though he supposed it might not be a bad idea to act on his whims as soon as he had figured them out.

* * *

**A.N.: **I never thought I would identify so much with Wufei, but lately I've been questioning my own notions of justice and injustice and I think somehow that helped me understand him better. Hope you liked the chapter!


End file.
